One of the things we like to do is to move toward Kilifi and, after forty minutes on the paved road, go onto the dirt road following the creek, park the car at a small forest studded with festive multicolored birds and proceed along a narrow but easy path to the sea.

It is a small paradise of peace, nature and mangroves. The frenetic activity of small crabs on the soft beach contrasts with the calm of the ocean sheltering in the long, deep inlet. Walking around, one discovers nooks and crannies that only by boat could be noticed and only at low tide do they take shape and exist.

On one of these shores is the hut of mama Karembo, who sells and cooks shrimp caught by her sister in nets not far away.

The children are tired of eating only and always shrimp; they would like chips, cookies, and chocolate.

At the word "chocolate," Mama Karembo smiles and runs her tongue between her lips.

She would gladly knead her hands, tongue and lips on it too, like the boys.

"Next time I'll bring it to you, so you can make me a double portion of shrimp in return!"

Thirty years ago, when I used to come to these places, bartering was enough.

I had fallen in love with the Kenyan coast because people here still placed very little value on money.

Is money needed to buy what helps us live and survive? Then if you bring it to me, in return I try to give you what might be useful to you.

In bartering we don't just exchange value, but we get to know each other, appreciate each other, bargain and argue maybe, but we always end up doing each other good. Starting with the useful and arriving, in proper moderation, at the superfluous, which when it is a rare and precious commodity, is a generator of ephemeral but healthy, necessary happiness.

For us to sit and chat with the "Karembo sisters" means purifying ourselves and learning that "it is not true that if you don't want everything you can't have anything," and that we should always confront those who take for granted things that are the exception for us, and vice versa.

For us, for example, sautéed shrimp with cornmeal porridge is a great lunch that I could give up cookies and chocolate for life.

Mama Karembo says "it makes sense, because you only eat them once in a while, try having them on your plate every day...you would always be on the toilet."

"And do you think the same thing wouldn't happen to you with chocolate?"

As always we end up laughing at nothing.

That is, at everything in life.