We are headed for Lake Atitlan in the Guatemalan  highlands. This large lake is surrounded by dormant volcanoes and a dozen or so small villages, all with a unique character.

Arrived in Panajachel by shuttle  bus (a direct tourist minibus service) Panajachel is the main town on the lake and the departure port by boat to all the other villages. There's a lively buzz to the place with lots of stalls along the lake  selling souvenirs, fruit veg and street food, We find our hotel tucked up a wee dusty lane. Not quite like it looked when we booked it online (as is often the way) but very friendly. Despite all the bustle during the day, the numerous restaurants are empty and we are the only ones all evening in the place we choose.

On the day after our arrival, we look for a boat that will take us across the lake and to the village of San Pedro. There are guys everywhere  trying to  get us on their boat but we walk on until we find El Publico,  the public boat service. Maybe slightly busier and more stops but a fraction of the price of a private boat and we are in no hurry.. We arrive in San Pedro and take a mini tour by  moto taxi before getting dropped off at the main square where there's a lively Sunday market in full swing.  After a couple of hours we hop on another boat  this time to San Marcos. This place  is completely  different. .. Very new age..  We are a bit out of place as many of the travellers have bare feet, dreadlocks, tattoos and piercings. Maybe we will be like this by the end of our  travels.  This aside, the village has a very relaxed appeal and the local Mayan people are very friendly and normal!  We check out a hotel and find a lovely spacious room in grounds surrounded by trees,  vegetarian restaurants a yoga meditation area, and,  this is what swung it for us, two labradors. We arrange to come back tomorrow as all our luggage is still in Panajachel. 

The next day we return to San Marcos  and our lovely large rustic hotel room with raised platform bedroom surrounded by tropical  trees. 

We spend two relaxing days here exploring the quiet little village. On two afternoons we end up, by chance, meeting an American  couple (he a retired psychologist and she a physciatric nurse) in a French owned cafe near the lake side. They are here for a couple of months and they invite us to their own appartment  1 km from village for dinner.  We have a great evening at their  place and enjoy lovely food and wine watching the sun go down over the lake and behind the volcanoes.

We arranged for the young moto taxi (tuc tuc) driver who delivered us, to return to take us back to our hotel at 7pm. To ensure his return, we told him we would pay him for both trips at the end of the night. He agreed to this reluctantly. As it happended,  we were left standing in the pitch dark after 7pm with no taxi in site. Fortunately  another  happened to be passing some 15 minutes later so we flagged him down and got our lift back. 
Next day I decided to try and track down the original driver and asked some of the other drivers in the street  if they knew where id find the moto taxi with the name "Guadeloupe" on the windscreen. By chance "Guadalupe" appeared shortly afterwards and I headed over to speak to him. He looked very sheepish and mumbled  out an excuse that he'd had to go home to his house.  I explained that I wasn't here to complain but to pay his fare for the first journey. He looked first  amazed then delighted although all the other drivers were taking the micky and saying that I should give the money to them to punish him. We all had a good laugh out of it anyway.