On the third and last day we took the first water taxi we could get, across to the South West shore, to San Pedro La Laguna. This is known as the "party" town on the lake and has a lot more life to it. It lies at the base of one of the volcanos, from which it takes it's name. There are lovely restaurants, open air bars, coffee shops, smoothie bars, markets with beautiful locally handmade goods, great places to stay with breathtaking lake views and a multitude of Spanish schools for those who want to learn the language from the locals.

After a good coffee, a bite to eat and a brief chat with some cruiser friends also visiting from the Rio, we returned to Panajachel, also known as the "tourist town", to continue the bike tour. After collecting the bike from the pink hotel, we got back on the road at around 12h30, to return to Antigua via Patzún, Patzicía (Chimaltenango) and Pastores. We descended the beautiful highlands, waded through a few more streams and rivers, zipped along a highway where we had to pull over because the rain was so heavy it felt like we were being pelted with nails, and then finally into the peaceful town of Pastores.

Pastores is known for handmade leather boots and I promise you, you will not be disappointed. The main street is lined with many small shops, filled with all the colours and styles you could imagine. Every boot is hand made and you can watch the cobbler at work. They range from about Q300 - Q400 (USD 38-50) for a pair and worth every penny. The craftsmanship is superb and I am almost certain they will last you a lifetime. I still want to go back and get a pair for myself. When we return to Central America, after our circumnavigation is complete, I will go back and buy a few pairs, for sure.

Ten minutes drive from Pastores we were back in Antigua and we were pretty bummed when we rode back into town and realised our bike adventure was over. It is one of the best trips we have ever done and well worth the freezing altitudes, icy rain and the painfully bruised behinds. If you are ever in the area go down to Moto Tours and rent yourself a bike or take a guided tour with one of their experienced local guides. The rental for 3 days was $200 and the fuel for approx 500km was a total of $20. So worth it!

waiting for our water taxi across Lake Atitlán to San Marcos

one of the majestic volcanos that surrounds the lake

view to the lake as we walked down from the village

tuk tuks waiting to take the tourists from the water taxi

walking from the water taxi terminal to the

talking with one of the leather artisans in Pastores

it is cheaper to buy the finished boots than than a piece of leather!

legendary Singer machine. These things never die...

incorporating the local hand woven traditional fabrics

bikes and scooters are a very popular, and inexpensive, mode of transport for both locals and visitors across Guatemala

Thanking José, the owner of Moto Tours, for a trusty bike and great trip

The next day it was back inland, with more offroad through sugar plantations, to Lago de Atitlán. The lake is situated in the Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre and the Lonely Planet Guide calls it "the closest thing to Eden on earth". The change in temperature, from the warm and humid coastline to the crisp cool volcanic mountains surrounding the lake, was quite drastic. We literally ascended into the clouds as we wound our way up and around the steep mountain passes. We were thankful for our windbreakers which up till this point we had been using as bug armour, protection against the multitude of insects ending their brief lives as gooey splats all over our chests, arms, helmets and (my least favourite) faces.

Our first glimpse of the lake was breathtaking. The Lonely Planet description is not far off. It really is something to behold and again, as with so many of the natural wonders we witness on our travels, it cannot be accurately captured in a photograph.

That afternoon we arrived in the lakeside town of Panajachel, in Sololá. Here we stored the motorbike with locals, at a pink hotel, and took a 45min water taxi ride across the lake to one of the little villages on it's North Western shore. San Marcos is known to be the quietest of the tiny settlements on the lake's edge. It is home to mostly holistic healing and yoga retreats with a diverse expat community living alongside the local traditional Mayas.

We enjoy the quiet but this place was almost lifeless when we were there. To be fair, it was off season but the people (specifically the expats) weren't exactly friendly and to be honest, we felt a bit out of place. We stayed at one of the lakeside yoga retreats, in a small dingy room, no running water and a broken toilet... all for a ridiculous price tag. It seems vegan hippie yogis have quite a bit of money to spend on their travels, especially if this was the off season discounted rate.

For dinner we had some of the establishment's healthy but tasteless veggie vegan soup, and were encouraged to retire early by a rather sad one-man karaoke show. Due to the non-existent running water situation we were unable to shower so we rolled our weary, smelly, sweaty bike and bug beaten bodies directly into bed. Unfortunately, this town is not a destination we would recommend...