Quite a few things are backwards in this upside-down house.
Well-known oddball places are somewhat uncommon, but the Upside Down House in Phuket can be seen along one of the island’s main roads. Whether you opt to stop on the side of the road and get a quick picture or head in to see the inside, it’s a kid-friendly place to get some intriguing photos.
Baan Teelanka is the name in Thai, though you’d have to look a bit harder to find the Thai script around the site. Behind the house (and conveniently visible from the house is the Amaze in Phuket Garden Maze.
For those just tuning in to the southern Thailand city for the first time, it’s pronounced poo-ket — the ‘h’ in Phuket is essentially silent. The town is Thailand’s largest island, and a pretty popular tourist attraction to boot. I’ll get around to blogging about the rest of the weirdness on the island, of course =)
From the outside you can fairly easily make out the two floors worth of ‘house’. Walk up the stairs just behind the roof (nothing to see there):
Walk on the ceiling and stare up at the ground — were it right-side-up it would feel like a pretty swanky Western house. The key here is to hold the camera upside down (for smartphones, rotating the picture 180 degrees after you take the camera is the other option. The picture above, for example, turns into this:
Pose with the furniture, but note most of it can’t easily be touched.
Now up on the top floor, you’ve just gotta wonder about why they chose a tuk-tuk, of all things. The glass fence prevents you from getting close, but try setting up the photo like you’re trying to jump in from afar, perhaps.
Or just ‘shop yourself into the would-be outdoor patio setting. Your call. Staff are around to take pictures and ask questions, though to be honest you’re unlikely to have any. The place is pretty straightforward, and the bathrooms are in the next building.
A 950 square meter garden hedge labyrinth, anyone? Best seen from the top level near the tuk-tuk, the garden maze has a separate entrance fee. Help people out if you want, or if they happen to look up and shrug their shoulders.
I’m a little torn here. On one hand, you can get some fun, silly shots — but you definitely have to work for it a bit harder than at your average Trick Eye Museum. It’s understandably harder to get closer to things that might break or fall if you put any extra weight on them. It’s a kid-friendly place, and while it’s not the most expensive place around, it sure isn’t the cheapest either. It’s a mainstream, vanilla attraction that I didn’t mind going to, but it’s a crowded, fairly short thrill.
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Name: Baan Teelanka (Phuket Upside Down House)
Address: 51/11 Moo 5, Tambon Rassada, A. Muang Phuket, Phuket, (GPS: 7.938592, 98.379847)
Directions: From the bridge crossing onto Phuket island, you’ll be on route 402. Stay on it for about 31km, then turn right to stay on route 402. It’ll be about 2 kilometers from the right turn, easily seen on your left — you may see some signage, but don’t be surprised if it sneaks up on you.
From Phuket’s Old Town, it’s about an 11km trip — while I’d encourage you to get your own transportation for the island, a tuk-tuk can get you here easily as well.
Hours: 10am-6pm
Admission: 250 baht for the house, 150 baht for the A-Maze-in-Phuket
Phone: 084–456–5279
Website: upsidedownhouse-phuket.com
