Originally Posted by
travelswithmyself
Thanks Thunderroad,
1. Yes I had a bad experience with altitude sickness at about 3000m several years ago so I've scheduled ~ 5 days in the Sacred Valley to drink lots of Coca Tea
before moving to Cuzco for a few days.
2. Sorry, I wasn't clear enough; I'm actually a minor train buff so getting aboard the train is a destination in itself. If I wanted to have a longer train journey, of course I would board in Cuzco. However, because of the risk of alt sickness, I can't do Cuzco first, and would have to backtrack from TdI to Cuzco to board the train.
So I'm trying to figure out if the scenery between Cuzco and Ollanta is worth the bother, otherwise I might as well save myself some money and an early morning drive and just board the train at Oly to AC.
3. Thanks for the advice on the TdI rates. I've actually locked in 2 rooms on C&P but am still considering paying for one; have to build up my points again since I don't have any other source of points
4. Btw any ideas about getting a Peruvian data SIM easily outside the CUZ airport or in Urubamba?
You're welcome, travels!
Perhaps I still don't understand your plan. Is it five days SV (including 3 TdI), then backtrack for some time in Cuzco, and then finally MP? If so, I don't think the backtracking is worth it. I'd suggest the SV, then AC/MP, then finally Cuzco. You can get from the SV to AC/MP on either the train from TdI (or really, an easy five minute walk away) or from Oly (which I'd recommend as a second place to stay in the SV if not all your time is at TdI).
Anyway, you're going to see great scenery whether in a car or a train, including while you're bopping around the SV. (It's a lot easier to do that with a driver who knows his way, including on a few slightly hairy portions of the area, though not impossible on your own.) So I wouldn't think it worth it to go out of your way for extra train time. You'll have plenty of train time going from TdI or Oly to AC and then back from AC to Cuzco.
Sorry, I don't have a clue about getting a SIM card.
By the way, there's a prescription you can get to help prevent/alleviate altitude sickness. I forget the name.