We have been hanging out with Emily's family all week. Sara arrived just a couple hours after I got back from Ecuador and Jen and Todd arrived the next day. Kat, Emily and I have been playing Risk obsessively, so we taught everyone else how to play and instigated a large, hostile takeover of the world. The game went on for days. Kat and Jen were the last people left, but they got bored and declared a truce.

Emily planned and cooked the big family dinner (with the help of her sisters). We had standing rib roast, potatoes au-gratin, broccoli casserole, salad, and five desserts - panna cotta, chocolate souffles, brownies, cookies and ice cream.

Since we were done with Risk, we started playing one of the many Cranium variants. It was us against the timer, trying to act, draw and give clues so that others could guess what was on our cards. It took awhile, but we were finally able to beat the timer.

Now our friends Serena, Brad and their little girl Bella are in town. We are trying to think of someplace to take them for dinner tonight. We will probably end up back at Skewers, our default restaurant in the city.

Today we biked around Cotopaxi, the second highest peak in Ecuador and one of the tallest active volcanoes in the world. We met the guides at 7:00 at a local coffee shop, picked up a few other tourists and drove for an hour and a half. The driving distance was not that far, but it takes forever to navigate the winding roads and the insane traffic. We stopped at the base of the volcano. The guides gave us each a bike, a helmet and a meeting point about 7km away. The top section was very steep and bumpy. I had a great time going as fast as possible down the hills while barely maintaining control of the bike. Luckily, if I fell I would have only hit rocks and tumbled off the mountain. The road got much less steep after the first meeting point. I had to pedal hard to keep up my speed. We stopped for lunch at a beautiful lake near the base of the mountain. The remaining 12km were mainly uphill (we had to push the bikes) and through shallow streams. Tomorrow we will leave Ecuador, but there is so much to see here that I will have to return. Next time I want to visit the Galapagos islands and the Amazon jungle.

Yesterday we went white water rafting. Neither of us were really looking forward to it, because it is pretty cold in Quito. However, when we drove down to 300 meters above sea level (from 5000 meters) the air was much thicker and warmer. It was a three hour drive to the river. I stayed awake for most of it and enjoyed watching the people in their small Ecuadorian towns. When we got to the river the guides inflated the boat, gave us the customary safety talk, and we set off. No more than five minutes downriver they steered the boat directly under a waterfall. I jumped out before getting soaked, but everyone else took the falls head on.

We rafted for a couple hours before stopping on a sandy beach for lunch. The guides served tacos and I got to observe how the real South Americans make them. The ingredients were the same as we are use to, but they put everything into the shell in reverse order. They started with the guacamole, sour cream and vegetables. They didn´t add the meat or beans until last. I kept meaning to try their technique, but forgot. A nice little dog joined us for lunch, waiting patiently while we ate. When we were full the guides fed her the leftovers. Overall the rafting trip was lots of fun and I am glad we didn´t back out.

Today we went horseback riding in a large volcanic crater. The walls and floor of the crater are very rich in nutrients, so many farmers have settled there. The ride lasted a few hours. Dad was apprehensive at first and had a little trouble controlling the horse, but he quickly got the hang of it. We stopped for lunch at a small inn with a beautiful open courtyard. There were many local families working or living there and about 10 dogs running around. We had fun playing with the dogs and trying to talk to the people. After lunch, we took the horses down a steep rocky path. It was a little scary at times, but the views were spectacular. We passed the official equator mark on the way home. Thanks to "Bizarre Foods", I knew that the official mark was not actually on the equator, but about 250 meters south.

Dad and I hiked in the Andes mountains today. We were picked up at 8:00am in the hotel lobby by the guide. He drove us about an hour and a half outside of Quito, stopping at a bakery in a small village along the way. We picked up a couple cheesy breads and a chocolate loaf for only 90 cents.

We hiked around between two of the largest volcanoes in the world. Hiking at that altitude (over 14,000 ft) proved difficult. We slogged our way up to the top of a large hill below one of the volcanoes, rested and took some photos. I noticed a couple of alpaca next to the hill, so I went down to see them and heard them up the hill. I was able to get them most of the way up before they turned and ran down the adjacent side. On the way back from the hike, we saw a pack of wild horses. Dad yelling at them and trying to direct them into a good composition to photograph. Every time they came close to where he wanted them, they turned their butts toward the camera. I think he was eventually able to get his shot.

My dad and I are visiting Ecuador this week. We flew into Quito last night, so today was the first day to really explore the city. We had a large breakfast at the hotel, before taking a cab to the historical center of the city. Cabs here are so cheap! It was $4 (Ecuador uses the US dollar as their currency) to get downtown. A large group of protesters were gathered at the presidential palace. I never really figured out what they were protesting, but I think it had something to do with taxis (being too cheap maybe?). We walked around the old part of the city for an hour, before one of the locals tipped us off to the changing of the guards at the palace. A marching band set up on a side street and guards with elaborate uniforms and tall spears prepared to march. When the changing of the guards started, the band and soldiers marched into the square and the protesters respectfully put down their signs and stopped yelling.

Dad and I tried to cross the square to get a better view, but we got stuck in the crowd of protesters. We watched with the crowd as the soldiers marched in unison and the President appeared on the balcony. Everyone clapped for the band and the President, but as soon as it was over they raised their signs and yelled to get his attention.

We quickly made our way out of the crowd and went to see some churches. The best one was built over the coarse of 160 years by Jesuits and indigenous workers. They had a superstition about leaving any part of the church undecorated, so the entire thing was intricately carved and covered with gold leaf. Quite impressive. We had lunch at a restaurant recommended by the church tour-guide. Afterward, we planned to visit one of the many delicious looking bakeries in the city, but got sidetracked looking for a USB cable for the camera. Eventually we found one near the Ecuadorian Central Bank. I took some video of the bank with Dad´s camera to use for the Economist videos. The people at my office should be happy about that.

A porter at the hotel directed us to a lovely little bakery just a couple blocks from the hotel. We split some pecan pie and kiwi cream pie, which were wonderful. Dad took a nap in the late afternoon while I uploaded the videos. Eventually I got tired and slept for a couple hours as well. We found an Italian restaurant at a nearby hotel for dinner. Now we are back at the hotel and I am about to beat him in chess again.

I had a great time in San Francisco. It is a beautiful city and I can see why so many of my friends moved there. I got to see Diane my first night in town, Nate and his fiance the second night and Beth the third night. Nate, Lavinia and I went to a lovely Thai noodle restaurant then back to their house to hang out. It was great catching up with Nate after not seeing him for so long.

Beth and I met near her school and took a cab up to North Beach. The area is really cool, full of Italian restaurants. After dinner, we went to a cool little coffee shop where the beatniks use to hang out. There was a whole group of guitar players, who had actually practiced together, and sang funny songs like ´La Bamba´.

On the work front, I went to Lawrence Livermore National Lab to see their laser fusion experiment, UC Berkly to interview a physicist and shoot a Prop 8 protest, and Silicon Vally to shoot an interview and b-roll about stem cells. I was fascinated by the scientific research, but incredibly disappointed by Silicon Vally. It was just a big office park! I was expecting the Magic Kingdom of technology. Regardless it was a nice trip and I would love to visit San Francisco again.

I'm in San Francisco on a shoot for Newshour. It's been a long day... I left home at 5:00am, caught a flight to St. Louis, got delayed because of fog in SF but finally made it here. This afternoon, I shot a couple interviews at the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. I met Diane for dinner at a nice little Punjabi restaurant, then drank some coffee and walked around downtown for a bit. She just moved here a month ago, so we're lucky her iphone had a map. Without it, we would still be wandering around.