My
wife
and
I live
in
a
very
pleasant
location
within
Sharjah.
Sharjah
is
not
the
destination
of
choice
for
many
people,
even
those
that
live
here,
but
it
does
have
some
nicer
areas,
one
of
them
being
where
we
rent
our
apartment.
We
live
on
Khalid
Lagoon,
with
Al
Khan
lagoon
on
the
other
side,
and,
compared
to
the
rest
of
Sharjah,
not
so
much
traffic
and
human
kind.
In
fact,
there
is
a
lot
of
sand and a large grassy area.
However,
this
relative
peace
and
quiet
means
that
people
with
only
one
discernible
aim
in
mind,
to
burn
fresh
meat
to
a
cinder,
come
to
the
beaches
in
big
numbers
in
the
evening
and
the
weekend.
Obviously
there
are
many
signs
on
the
beach
saying
that
barbecuing
is
prohibited,
but
this
is
one
of
those
local
regulations
that
is
never
enforced.
We
like
to
walk
there,
but
it
is
impossible
to
do
so
without
a
full
face
gas
mask
and
night
vision
goggles
due
to
the
waves
of
impenetrable
choking
blue-black
smoke
and
the
acrid
smell
that clings to the
atmosphere.
I
am
amazed
that
barbecuers
can
even
sit
amongst
it,
let
alone
eat.
When
we
do
venture
in
that
direction
we
are
inevitably
driven
back
into
our
apartment,
which
thankfully
is
35
floors
up.
The
smoke
doesn't
reach
that
height,
yet.
