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The Hotel on the Roof of the World

Five Years in Tibet

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The Hotel on the Roof of the World

By: Alec Le Sueur
Narrated by: Steven Kynman
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About this listen

The very aptly named Mr Pong had the kind of breath that could stun at over 10 feet.… This wasn’t just bad - there was something rotten down there. Something had crawled in and died. Gunter howled with laughter as he saw the look of horror on my face. It was the best entertainment he had seen since he had watched Chef chasing yaks through the kitchens.

Few foreigners are lucky enough to set foot on Tibetan soil, but Alec Le Sueur spent five extraordinary years there, working in the unlikeliest Holiday Inn in the world. Against the breathtaking beauty of the Himalayas unfolds a highly amusing and enlightening account of his experiences. Fly infestations at state banquets, unexpected deliveries of live snakes, a predominance of yaks and everything yak-related, the unbelievable Miss Tibet competition, insurmountable communication problems and a dead guest are just some of the entertainments to be found at the Fawlty Towers of Lhasa.

Le Sueur, the only Westerner since the days of Heinrich Harrer to spend so long in Tibet, examines the country’s intriguing cultural background, providing a fascinating insight into a country that was only just opening up to the outside world.

©2003 Alec Le Sueur (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic Reviews

“...offers lucid details about living in a place that westerners tend to misunderstand.” (Time Magazine)
“An hillarious account of a clash of cultures...a comparison with Fawlty Towers is inevitable, but this is funnier.” (Mail on Sunday)
“Imagine moving Faulty Towers from Torquay to Tibet...Le Sueur has distilled five years of real anecdotes into one hilarious volume...unbelievably true.” (Focus Magazine)
All stars
Most relevant
Loved the stories. Le Sueur's adventure was hilarious and insightful. A great trip down memory lane; if only he had recounted the unusual nappies that toddlers wear with holes in the middle so they can squat wherever they need...

Warning: High liklihood of laughing out loud

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Where does The Hotel on the Roof of the World rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

While it has its sombre moments when the harsh reality of an oppressed Tibet hits home, Alec Le Sueur creates a throughly enjoyable book that I highly recommend. Whether you listen to this as a Tibetan supporter or somebody looking for a little satire with your history, you will certainly be thankful that you took the time out to listen to the book.

A thoroughly enjoyable "read"

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