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The Downhill Hiking Club
- Narrated by: Dom Joly
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
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The Downhill Hiking Club
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Summary
Dom Joly was born in Beirut and lived there until he was 18. He lived through the civil war, went to school with Osama Bin Laden, and learned to ski and speak French and Arabic. At the age of seven, he was sent to an English boarding school, where he would spend term times before returning to his war-torn home. It was a schizophrenic existence. Dom's parents divorced when he was 18, and he moved permanently to the UK, becoming a diplomat, a political journalist and then famous as a man who dressed as a giant squirrel. He has been back to Lebanon only twice since.
Then he read about an attempt to encourage tourism in this long-suffering country: The Lebanon Mountain Trail. This is a hiking trail that runs from the Syrian border in the north of Lebanon, along the spine of the country's mountain range all the way to the Israeli border in the south. The trail takes 30 days to complete.
Dom immediately decided that he must hike the trail in 2018, the year of his 50th birthday, and invited two friends along. Essentially this is a bonding adventure that just so happens to take place right in the middle of the most important geopolitical region of our times.
The Downhill Hiking Club is a funny, heartwarming travel book full of insight into the Middle East, religion, friendship and growing old disgracefully....
It's three men on a camel...without the camel.
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What listeners say about The Downhill Hiking Club
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 27-06-19
Stunning
I have just finished listening to this for the second time. Funny and with great poignant moments.
Makes you wish to go to Lebanon and for the country to be at peace for all the people of it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- AdyW
- 09-08-19
Great listen
This is travel the Dom Joly way. I just love the way he puts a story across with some great facts and a fun background.
Dom just has a way of making you feel immersed in the story.
I have read all of Dom's books and must say have enjoyed all of them.
Dom's passion for adventure comes across really well. He goes to unusual places and makes them seem normal.
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- Mr Leandros Komninos
- 17-08-19
Fabulous journey
Thank you for the experience. Could flavour the food and visualise the views plus the humour was apposite.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Chrissy
- 18-03-21
great humourous travel book
really really enjoyed this. fun story and 3 mates going for a walk in the middle east. I've never given the place much thought (other than war torn hell hole) but this made me view the place in a whole new light. the book was funny, light hearted, yet informative. up there with bill bryson (all praise him) in my opinion.
highly recommended!
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- Andy Higgins
- 16-06-19
Wonderfully entertaining!
Loved it, a very entertaining, informative and in some ways educational account of Don and his dear friends undertaking more than they can chew!! I had always dismissed the Middle East as a travel destination, particularly this part of the world. I now want to go to Lebanon and walk on the LMT! Another cracker by Dom, keep them coming!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. T. P. Bedingfield
- 01-08-19
Superb, human, witty and above all very funny
Another win for Dom Joly. Highly amusing, and more to the point wets the appetite for both food and travel at the same time. I am booking my flights to the Lebanon right after this. A must read.
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- Russell Taylor
- 01-04-24
Always Hits the Mark
Everyone of these books is funny thought provoking and entertaining. Can’t listen to one need to hear them all
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-08-19
Good but not great.
A thoroughly enjoyable book but I felt it was a bit drawn out compared to The Dark Tourist and Scary Monsters. I personally preferred reading about Dom's travels to lots of varied destinations and his shenanigans on the way.
Maybe that's more to do with my short attention span. But his comic style is still there peppered with depth and emotion. Still highly recommend.
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- GB79
- 17-06-19
Inspirational & wonderfully entertaining
A really fantastically well written and narrated book that makes you feel you are on the hike with them. Truly inspirational with the perfect balance of every narrative form to ensure there is never a dull moment. There are two editing slips that mean you hear a couple of sentences repeated but this does not distract for long from this engaging, inspirational and entertaining travel book that I highly recommend to any fan of Bill Bryson (peace be upon him / blessed be his name 😉).
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- Alexander M.
- 02-06-20
Brilliant
Dom is a properly good writer and narrator. I list to far too many audiobooks and this is up there with the best!
Also learning the word persiflage from this book means I no longer need to used that awful word banter. So a double win!
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