The view from the window of the new Dreamliner showed a thick green carpet below as we landed into Cancun airport. Quite surprising, since my perception of Mexico had been one of deserts and cacti, probably obtained from watching too many westerns. The Yucatan Peninsula is an altogether different place, full of lush vegetation, with leaves as big as umbrellas. Recent scientific discoveries even suggest we might have this part of the world to thank for our very existence. The 15km wide asteroid which hit the earth here over 60 million years ago, would not have been so successful in wiping out the dinosaurs had it landed elsewhere, due to the nature of the limestone rock which vaporised into the atmosphere, blocking out sunlight, resulting in starvation and extinction. This not only played an important part in human history, but helped shape the area into the unique landscape that it is today.
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