Where 7-year-olds can help wash the elephants

Where did you go? Nepal, for a little mom-and-son time.

Where did you stay? In Kathmandu, at the Kathmandu Guest House (ktmgh.com), with its lush courtyard garden. In the Chitwan Jungle we splurged and stayed at the Tiger Tops Lodge (tigermountain.com), a luxury ecolodge where we were treated like royalty. In Annapurna, we trekked to simple family-run lodges with a company that specialize in providing female guides for women travelers and families (3sistersadventure.com).

What did you do? In Kathmandu we visited the Swayambhu Temple complex (also called the "monkey temple" for the abundance of hominids that live there) at 6 a.m., joining hundreds of Nepalis as they climbed the steep steps to perform their morning puja (worship), exercise, and socialize. In Chitwan we rode elephants, and my 7-year-old, Henry, helped wash them in the river. We will always remember the sound of our guides and porters singing lively Nepali pop tunes and traditional love ballads as we hiked.

Where did you eat? Considering my son is practically the president of the Picky Eaters Club, we managed quite well. Although he refused to eat the Nepali national meal of dal bhat (rice, lentil soup, curried potatoes, sautéed greens, and crisp crackers), there was plenty of kid-friendly food available with a Nepali twist, like pizza made with yak cheese - delicious!

• Where have you been? Write us at Weekend