This week Frances and I are travelling down the east coast through Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu and Kapas Island. It's a low-key island with chalets but no resorts, nice beaches, just a few minutes from the mainland by speedboat. The towns are pretty modern with just a few blocks of crumbling colonial buildings that don't look like they'll last much longer. The leatherback turtles, which just a few years ago drew crowds of tourists to the beach to observe their nesting habits, have also gone extinct, though their eggs are reportedly still being sold in the markets for a few cents apiece.