Amber Bamjan Tamang

Gyalzen Peak (6,151 meters) is located in the Jugal Himal Range 145kms northeast of Kathmandu Valley and stands right at the border of Nepal and Tibet.   Though the area is in the same province as the capital of the country, the area was not often visited by climbers and trekkers as most of them wish to go to more popular areas of Everest, Annapurna, or Langtang.   However, this hidden land offers enchanting trekking and climbing experiences like any other famous destination in the Himalaya but without the crowds. There are nearly a dozen majestic peaks and some of them are still unclimbed.   As the area is just opened for trekkers and climbing, trekking and climbing trip here is a rare off the beaten trail experience in the Himalaya.   Gyalzen Peak From Its Own Base Camp, Photo: Sharmila Lama / Three Jewels Adventures  To reach Gyalzen peak for a climbing expedition the team first needs to drive for a short half-day along winding roads through Nepal’s mid-hill villages inhabited by a

  Brewing Big Dream at Local Climber's Little Café (mountain climbing story of Sharmila Lama, from Nepal)  Sharmila at Her Cafe  Until recently, coffee-related jargons such as Americano, Cappuccino, Mocca, Double or Single Shot, which were only heard in big tourist hotels and restaurants, have now become the buzz words of Kathmandu commoners. With any excuse, people flock for 'coffee meetings' where they chat from politics to the baristas who make all flavors of coffee and bring them to their table. Mountaineer Sharmila Lama is one of such baristas whose, story is worth knowing. Sharmila's small 'Café  Epic' is located in the temporarily constructed Kalimpong Plaza on the way towards Phulbari Tol from Bouddha in the capital. As in other coffee shops, coffee of different flavors is available here and the café operator Sharmila makes and serves coffee with her own hands. She is one of the few Nepali women to successfully ascend four 8,000 plus meters high mountain