About


“I've always wanted to get as far as possible from the place where I was born. Far both geographically and spiritually. To leave it behind ... I feel that life is very short and the world is there to see and one should know as much about it as possible. One belongs to the whole world, not just one part of it.” ~ Paul Bowles (1910-1999)

This blog (currently on hiatus) is intended to be a journal of thoughts and impressions gleaned from my travels, from my reading, and from my writing and research projects - it's an exploration in the most personal sense of the word, and of the world at large.

My name is Tim Chamberlain. I am interested in historical research and travel writing. If I'm not lost in a library or buried in a bookshop somewhere, you'll most likely find me in a queue waiting to board an aeroplane.

I'm based in London and Tokyo. For many years I travelled the world for the British Museum, working in museums in a variety of different countries and continents. I am currently researching and writing a PhD on western travellers in East Tibet, 1900-1949 at Birkbeck College, University of London.

I'm also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.