This is the first of three short stories I read from the "Gift of Travel" collection, a compilation of short stories about travel, and is probably the best written piece in the collection. It keeps the reader in suspense by strategically placing breaks in the plot line. The author, Andrew Bill, tells the story of his eventful and somewhat dangerous trip through the Sinai Peninsula just after the Camp David Accord was signed transferring power in the region from the Israelis to the Egyptians. We meet Bill as he searches for food in empty towns and emptier five star resorts. He eventually finds a Bedouin who is willing to give him food, and when the nomad tries to offer Bill money to help in his travels, Bill, due to linguistic and cultural differences, misreads the sign language as a demand for payment for the food.
Bill nicely constructs the piece so that the reader comes to a realization about the story, and also about Western society, at the very end of the piece. I didn't want my piece to lead to some greater meaning like this, I just wanted my piece to be an entertaining story about a fantastic trip to Italy.
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