Our guide introduced us to the driver who would be taking us on our tour of Myanmar. Then she turned to the young man in the seat next to the driver’s. ‘And this is his Assistant’.

She explained.  The majority of vehicles (including our bus) in Myanmar have the steering wheel on the right, as they are imported from Japan where people drive on the left. However, this presents something of a problem in Myanmar, where buses and cars drive on the right*, as the driver’s view of oncoming traffic is rather restricted. So, the drivers have young assistants, sitting to their left, whose role is watch out for what is coming towards them and shout a warning…

Problem solved! (I think…)

*Er, usually