Hola,
We rode from San Cristobal to the La Mesilla crossing via the ruins at Palenque and Bonampuk. The ride parallels the border and is one of the best I've ever done - lots of twisty road and beautiful scenery. The crossing itself is very easy.
From what I remember, San Cristobal was no less 'gringified' than Antigua, but there's other places to study, e.g. Todos Santos, where no-one speaks English. Lago Atitlan is not big - you can easily ride around it in a day trip from Antigua, even taking the dirt roads there and back.
Relax about the bike - you're not going far, and the riding can all be on asphalt if you feel the need to take it easy.
I don't know anything about the ferry, but (generally) arriving by boat is much more complicated than by road. An English girl I met had several weeks of customs tie-ups after catching a ferry, though I can't remember which CA country it was she went to.
James
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James Courtier
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