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High up in the Tibetan plateau, life adjusts to the constant chill. Heated water came in one-litre thermoses. Bathroom water came in giant pales with a water ladle floating atop. The drink of choice was piping hot milk tea, a black tea brew mixed with yak’s milk. I never thought much beyond how different these elements were to my day-to-day life.

One morning, I woke up to a blue hue shining through the windows. Wrapped in my own sleeping bag, I unzipped the cocoon and arose from the floor. From corner to corner of the room were sleeping bags of people, still wandering their dreams, so I crept over the creaking floor to the door.

Beyond the room’s walls stood the rest of the building: a palace with its own courtyard. I came from one of the guest rooms along the palace perimeter, and from my first step outside, I can see the kitchen just ahead and the guest bathrooms in the distant palace corner.

I thought I was one of the first to witness today’s light, but from my guest room door, I saw a nun, full pales of water in each arm, hauling them from the palace entrance to the guest bathrooms. She smiled at me. I clasped my hands & smiled back.

The nuns always took care of us palace guests. They raised the tents that sheltered us from the Himalayan cold. They prepared the foods that nourished our souls. They brought warmth in thermoses for drinking and rinsing ourselves. They kept us happy, all with a smile upon their blushing faces. Yet what struck me most was the thought of someone investing such effort for us to take for granted.

Silently, the nun heaved bucketloads of water on both arms, journeying from pumps by the streams at the foothills up to the guest bathrooms. It seemed perilous, but she still persisted, all for people like me to wake up with water to use. I felt overwhelmed by her help, how such a minor detail required such grand effort.

Driven by such humble assistance, Shamballa strives to bring joy & peace through actions. We care about each moment of your experience, from the first breath of our aroma to the last step in our havens. We seek the best for you in every detail because a little bit of goodness can go a long way.

We look forward to welcoming you into our wondrous homes!