Translation of Zwinkern

Yesterday, I heard a very good example to explain my point: On their journey more than ten years ago, the presidential couple Mr. and Mrs. Clinton visited Egypt. They were welcomed by the president.
Hemingway is trying to tell us a story about two people cannot fulfill their desires and needs, such as having free sex, drinking alcohol, spending the nights in bars and clubs and generally having fun.
We started to look for other options and found the Salvation Army Boot lodge, which had much larger rooms for half the price. The second and third night we would stay there before moving on.