Because of the bright sunlight, we were up early again, but it was fine since we had an early flight from Flores to Belize. We were ready on time, and got breakfast and checked out. We thought we'd be the only people on our boat to town, but there were others, specifically two big groups. The night before, Eric had told us to be at pier in Flores at 7:30, for our 8:30 flight, which seemed a little close. As it turned out, we didn't even leave the hotel until 7:30. The slow boat ride across the lake was annoying again, particularly since little kids on the boat were playing and making lots of noise whilst Justin stewed at the front of the boat. He knew there was nothing he could do about the situation, but he couldn't help from getting made. Crystal was much more c'est la vie, and assumed everything would work out. As usual, she was correct.

We got to the pier around 7:50, and it was a short drive to the airport. At the check-in desk, the guy seemed non-plussed, so we took that as a good sign. He checked in the bags, and us, to BZE (Belize City) only. We went through security, and were out the other side by 8:15. Shortly after that the check-in desk guy came into the boarding area, and we asked him what we needed to do in order to get us and our bags to Placencia. He told us that we'd pick up stuff at BZE, clear immigration and customs, and then check-in for our Placencia flight. Our plane was a small one, with 14 seats - enough for 12 passengers and 2 pilots. After taking off and turning east, the scenery became thick jungle in short order. To pass the time, we read about stuff to do in Belize from the seatback magazine.

We landed around 9:15, and at immigration we had to remember to speak English, not Spanish. That was a piece of cake, and bag retrieval was basically just someone handing us our bags through a window. Customs was a non-event, and so we went to find where to check-in. Right after leaving the customs area, there was a hallway with all desks for numerous airlines, including many US airlines (the main 3 plus Southwest). We found the Tropic Air desk and checked our bags to Placencia, plus got our tickets, which were literally written on a piece of paper by the person at the desk. The security area was a small L-shaped room with a short ceiling, making it very loud and claustrophobic. Right in front of us was a group of high schoolers on a class trip, and it was mayhem. We got out of there in a hurry, and Crystal didn't even wait to get her shoes on. The boarding area a mess as well, but thankfully not so cramped. It just had a lowe ceiling, bad acoustics, and uncomfortable wooden benches. We grabbed a seat right in front of the Tropic Air boarding area and waited.

There was a flight before ours, headed to Cancun, but it was held up because two people (out of a total of four) were not there yet. So we boarded first, and it was just us and a dad with two kids who had been on our earlier flight. Coincidentally, we went back to the same plane we'd come off an hour or so earlier. On our walk to the plane, we saw a nearby plane that had a weird shape, with propellers on the back. It was very clearly a medical situation, as it looked like they were boarding someone onto the plane. We wondered where they were going, since plane was tiny and we were in the "capital" already. We also saw all the windows were covered from the inside, with drapes or paper or something. We hoped the person would be alright. We had a short flight south along the coast. There were some clouds, which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but isn't great in a tiny plane. When we landed, we were greated by Lacho from Chabil Mar, the resort we'd be staying at for a few days. We grabbed our bags, and as we were patting ourselves down with a cold towel, the dad from the plane was getting grief about collecting his bags, since he didn't have his bag receipt. This seemed odd to us since we were literally the only other people on the plane, and we'd already grabbed our bags. Hopefully he just described what was in the bags; we could have described our bags with no problem if need be. It was a 3 minute drive to the resort from the airport. On the way we passed an Italian restuarant and the Turtle Inn, which apparently is owned by Francis Ford Coppola.

At Chabil Mar, we were greeted by several people, and offered a welcome drink. There was also a person with a giant bottle of rum if we wanted "to add some fun." We did. After we checked in, they showed us around the grounds. Our room was not ready, which is understandable since it was not even noon yet. To pass the time, we had drinks at the bar with DeShaun, who talked about the town and things to do and places to see. After getting into the room, we just lazed around for a bit, then went across the street to set up diving for the next day. We came to Placencia in the hopes of seeing Whale Sharks, which often visit the area around the full moons in the spring. They told us that they had seen a couple the day before, but none today, and that they didn't arrange "whale shark" dives per se. The reason is that the whale sharks are out in the open ocean around Gladden Spit, past the barrier reef, so if the sharks aren't there, there's not much to see otherwise. So instead they suggested, and we arranged, a trip to Silk Caye, which is the part of the barrier reef closest to Gladden Spit. And if any of the "spotters" notice whale sharks, the dive boat simply goes out to find them. Back at the room, Crystal did diligence on lunch spots whilst Justin caught up on the trop log. Crystal found a place that looked good, but it was well north of us. So we settled on the Barefoot Bar, south of us and near "downtown" Placencia. We walked there around 2pm.

It was really hot, and there was no wind. For the first bit, we were along the highway, and there wasn't really a sidewalk. But since we were at the end of a peninsula, there weren't many cars, and the cars were used to having people walk on the road. There were a good number of B&Bs, guest houses, etc. that we passed. One had a very clever name, Dolce Cabana. The map we had wasn't perfect, as some places didn't match up, so as soon as we thought we were far enough down the highway, we turned left to walk towards the sidewalk that Placencia is famous for. Supposedly it has the world's thinnest, longest main street, the 4 foot wide sidewalk that goes for a mile or so. We walked down the sidewalk for a bit, then found the Barefoot Bar. It was exactly what we were hoping for, a very chill place with great views and a good vibe.

The Belize to US exchange rate is fixed at 2:1, but we wondered if the prices were in BZ or US. Thankfully, they were in BZ, meaning the drinks were very cheap. We ordered several drinks and also some food. About halfway through, we struck up a conversation with a tourist from Ohio, who was considering moving to either Boston, Anaheim, or Portland. We advocated for either of the west coast spots. When we left Barefoot Bar we went to the pier at the end of the sidewalk, then walked back on the highway. We never did spot Lacho, who indicated that in the afternoon and evening there was a courtesy shuttle that went into town every hour on the hour. It was much more comfortable than when we walked into town, though, so we didn't really mind. We could use the exercise. Back at the hotel we grabbed drinks at bar with Darren, the evening bartender. As we had with DeShaun, we discussed Placencia and things to do. We also watched and talked basketball, as the Warriors and Thunder were playing on TV. Since we had eaten a late lunch, we just split a meat and cheese plate for "dinner." When it was all said and done, we were fairly intoxicated, but thankfully our room was right above the bar and the walk was about 30 seconds.