A longyi/baso, bit of thick rope, and some street-level creativity turns this bus stop into a suitable hanger for a cradle. The bus shelter is particularly appropriate in this repurposed role on account of it coming with a roof and its supporting pillars being wide enough apart to allow the mother to rock the contraption back and forth, miraculously enabling the baby to fall asleep despite urban Yangon’s honking, yelling, selling, and general surrounding chaos. The mother’s betel shop is positioned directly in front of the bus shelter – speaking to both the additional value that is wrung out of this everyday piece of urban infrastructure, and also the subjectiveness as to the “purpose” of that same piece of urban infrastructure. Bus stops are not merely for waiting for the bus, but also for providing shelter for sidewalk/street-based businesses, in the same way that many of Yangon’s sidewalks are not intended solely for walking, but as (semi-public) commercial spaces available for rent.

With training like this from such an early age, I’m no longer surprised that I’m the sole passenger unable to sleep through the all-night music video and romantic comedy movies compulsorily blasted during overnight bus rides.