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[Fusilado Kent]

Hey Scott, everyone had pointed a lot of the joys and pitfalls of living here so I figured I'd help you with your specific questions.

1. The drought affects us locally in a way you can read pretty much daily in the paper. Which is to say depending on where you live water is periodically shut off for about 36 hours at a time. This is the first year I've really noticed it, but in the short term having a big enough cistern will get you through. As mentioned some more permanent conservational methods can help for the long run.

2. The quality of the water in Guanajuato has been covered in some of the above posts. For potable you can either have enough empty Ciel containers to make sure you always have some and aren't at the mercy of the delivery schedule, or go with one of the filter options.

3. A taxi from Leon Airport to Guanajuato is a set price from the kiosk just outside of customs. It's gone up in years but as I recall it's around 40 bucks US.

4. The violence that has racked the North and several other areas has been mercifully low in the state, and almost non-existent in the capital. It is (however quaint) still a city. Petty theft, break-ins, armed robbery, and assault do exist, and may be even on the rise. Specifically anti-foreign sentiment can and does exist. All and all, it's still one of the safest and friendliest cities I have ever lived in.

5. The firecrackers in the morning, like many cacophonous street sounds, is just one of the many unique cultural changes you'll get used to. Most of the time it's in celebration of one of the millions of festivals and holidays that occur year long. Mortar shells launched to the heavens for the glory of God and all that.

6. There really is no particular local expat hangout in the traditional sense which is part of the joy of the city - everyone hangs out with everyone. That said, there's the Sunday brunch mentioned above, the Sunday barbeque at Fusilado in Valenciana (full disclosure my bar), Cafe Tal and Antique for a good coffee, Zilch, Bagetin and Chaac for original live music, and countless other restaurants, bars, and cafes. If you keep an ear open, something neat or cultural happens pretty much every day and night and you can make connections to find them out pretty fast.

Ok, good luck to ya