When you arrive at the Mexico City airport, proceed through Immigration, claim your bags, and then proceed through the Customs line.

Changing Money

You will want to stop at a 24-hour bank to change some dollars or other foreign currency into pesos. There is a bank inside the baggage claim area for international flights, as well as several other banks in the airport terminal. One of these is always open, so check around if the first one you see is closed. There are also a number of ATM machines in the airport. If you are taking public transportation, you will need pesos right away.

 

Public Phones

There are several public phones available throughout the airport, and it is possible to make credit card calls (AT&T, Sprint, and MCI) or collect calls if you need to make a call, but it is quite expensive.

 

Group Arrivals

If you are traveling with a group, a Cemanahuac Representative will greet you as you exit Customs. While waiting for everyone to exit, you will be asked to turn left down the hall, and left again into the first alcove (just past the Alamo Car Rental office.) Restrooms are located here. Please make sure to stay with other members of your group.

 

If you are not traveling with a group, please read the following carefully:

For those not traveling with a group, several options are available to travel from the Mexico City airport to Cuernavaca. These options including car rentals, taxis, private shuttle van or public buses. Cemanahuac recommends using the public buses as they as they offer convenient and inexpensive shuttle bus service from the Mexico City to Cuernavaca. Below is more information on each option.

Car Rentals

For the few who decide to rent a car, there are many "rent -a-car agencies in the airport.

Taxi Service

The Mexico City airport taxis are yellow and white.

Cemanahuac Van Service

For those who want private transportation, we will be able to arrange to pick you up at the airport. The fee for the van is $35 per person, with a minimum of $140 for four people. Fees subject to change. We'll try to arrange for several people to take our van at the same time, but frequently this is not possible. Contact the school two weeks ahead of your arrival to request this service, and be sure to give us your complete flight information. (All fees are given in US dollars, but you should have pesos for the public shuttle bus.)

Public Bus Transportation

In order to get to the bus loading area, you will need to cross the street which runs in front of the international terminal. In order to do so, you must go over a pedestrian bridge. Look for signs in the terminal for public bus service. To get to the bridge, follow these instructions:

• Upon exiting Customs and entering the public area of the terminal, turn left.
• Turn left again just past Alamo Car Rental’s office. You will now be walking away from the street.
• Turn right at the end of the hallway.
• There will be an elevator on your right. Press 1 (since you are starting out on floor PB, planta baja), or if you prefer you can walk up a ramp to the second floor (which of course is labeled 1st floor.)
• Once upstairs. make a U-turn out of the elevator or a left turn from the top of the ramp. The glass enclosed bridge which goes across the street will be straight ahead of you (although you won’t be able to see it because of small shops blocking your view.)
• The ticket booth for the buses to Cuernavaca is at the other end of the bridge. Several bus lines use the same counter.
• Purchase a ticket from the Pulman de Morelos bus line. The fare, which must be paid in pesos, is the equivalent of about $10 U.S. dollars. (When this was written, in November 2005, the fare was $110 pesos per person.)
• With your ticket in hand, you need to go down to street level. There is an elevator to your left as you are facing the ticket counter, or you may use the ramp at the end of the hallway to your right. Several stairways are to your right, as well. Unfortunately, the escalators are usually set to run up rather than down.
• Your ticket is for an assigned seat, so you need to be sure you are on time. The buses are very punctual.
• Buses leave about every 40 minutes until 11:30pm.

Suggestion from Vivian Harvey - "It is well worth the expense of a porter to hire one and ask him to take you to the location where the bus tickets are sold. He will help with the bags (even if you don't need the help), wait for you to change your dollars into pesos, then wait while you purchase your ticket, then escort you down to where you wait for the bus. It is very easy but it's helpful to have the escort, and the general tip is abour $3 per bag... and very well worth it for the ease and speed with which this will all be accomplished."

 

Upon your arrival in Cuernavaca, take a taxi from the bus station to the school. Agree on the price (which should be the equivalent of between $3.00 to $4.00 US) before you enter the taxi. Be sure the driver knows where he is to take you, and if he does not, find a driver who does.

The taxis in Cuernavaca are white with matching numbers on the doors and license plates. All the taxis in Cuernavaca should have an orange strip on the bottom of their license plates.

Cemanahuac

Cemanahuac is located on calle San Juan, in the Las Palmas section of Cuernavaca. The following are pictures of the Las Palmas area of Cuernavaca, where Cemanahuac is located.

You will see street signs like these on the corner as you get close to the school.			This is the corner of San Juan and calle Jalisco. Cemanahuac is in the middle of the block.
Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Estrella de Oro bus station and a pharmacy (Farmacia del Ahorro) are all located on Ave. Morelos Sur. At the corner where the pharmacy is, turn right onto Calle Tapatitlán. Go one block and turn right onto Calle San Juan and turn right again. Cemanahuac is in the middle of the block.
In the gateway of the school, taped to the board, you will find your host family's address in an envelope which has your name on it. If your famliy is not waiting for you upon your arrival at Cemanahuac, you will be taken to your host family home.