Singaporeans camping on the shores

Taking in the sun, sand and sea over Chinese New Year
Straits Times 10 Feb 08;

THIS Chinese New Year holiday has been a super long weekend - with several hundreds hitting Changi Beach and the East Coast Park to camp or just to swim, many since Thursday .

Mr Samsul Ahmat, was one of them. 'Camping is a great way to bring the family together,' the 39-year-old storekeeper said.

His extended family of 20 stayed overnight on Friday and went home yesterday.

For customer service officer Lim Boon Khin, 38, who lives in a Housing Board flat, it was a chance for her young daughter to have fun in open spaces. 'We want to give kids the freedom to roam and run around,' she said on yesterday .

Then there was sailor Mohamed Ali, 33, who has been camping there since Tuesday. From his sandy shaded spot by the beach, he said with a grin: 'There are many pretty girls hanging around here.'

By late yesterday, many campers were packing up to prepare for the Monday blues.