Status Updates From The Beast: Riding the Rails...

"The Central American journey toward the false promised land is like climbing the slopes of Everest: the higher you get the less air there is to breathe, the more your body aches, the hardest challenges coming when you are at your weakest. At every step, the migrant trail offers only one deal: surrender yourself."

"The best place to chat with a migrant is on top of the hurtling train. You're considered an equal there. You're in their territory and have, by boarding the train, signed a pact of solidarity. You share cigarettes, water, food, and are ready to defend the train from attack if necessary. The pact ends when you get off the train."

"Death isn't simple in El Salvador. It's like a sea: you're subject to its depths, its creatures, its darkness. Was it the cold that did it, the waves, a shark? A drunk, a gangster, a witch? They didn't have a clue."