Once Marcel Maldonado has finally made it across, he immediately breaks down in tears. The Venezuelan migrant, hampered by a prosthetic leg, has survived the infamous trek through the Darien jungle from Colombia and, having crossed the Tuquesa River, he is now in Panama. Perched on the riverside is Bajo Chiquito, the first Panamanian village where migrants -- some 3,000 a day, most of them Venezuelans, many with children -- arrive after the tortuous journey northward. Most are headed to the US and, they hope, a better life. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES