When life gets overwhelming, there are times where we feel like things are just upside down. But instead of stressing out, the best way to tackle problems might be to look at things at a new perspective. What perspective you ask? Why not try upside down? Located at Jalan Borneo, Kuching, the newly opened Upside Down House Kuching will surely give you a fresh perspective on things all the while as you de-stress yourselves from the regular routine.
The place isn’t hard to locate as it is right next to Tune Hotel – Waterfront Kuching and across the street from the Hilton Hotel. Visitors who want to enter the house are required to take off their shoes – mimicking the customs of any regular Asian household. A receptionist will collect an entry fee which is currently at the promotion rates of RM12 per adult and RM8 per child for MyKad holders. Non-Malaysian tourists would be charged RM20 per adult and RM15 per child.
The receptionist stands underneath an upside down fruit stand with vibrant colours as she greets the visitors upon arrival. Although it was around 3pm on a Monday when I visited, I could still see a number of people who were just about to leave and some more who arrived just after me. The entrance door was locked and I was told that it was due to the management limiting the number of entrants so as to not overcrowd the areas and in turn create an enjoyable experience for visitors.
It wasn’t long after my arrival when the founder of Upside Down House Kuching, 39-year old local Brendan Kon, came to give some information about the whole concept of this new attraction, the first in Sarawak.
“I wanted to create a place where it could be a fun place for families to spend time together. The idea came to me around October last year and since then, my team and I scouted around for the right locations and furniture for the props,” Kon explained.
Roughly 3-months later, the Upside Down House Kuching opened its doors on Saturday (Feb 25) and during that weekend alone, the amount of visitors that showed up surprised the management team.
“In just two days, we had about 600 visitors who dropped by,” he added.
One of the fun things about this place is that the experience relies on the creativity of the visitors to pose and time their photos just right for the best shots. Although we were still at the reception, Kon encouraged me to try out posing underneath an upside-down mounted bicycle located just next to the fruit stand I mentioned earlier on.
In theory, the scene would look odd if I were to just stand underneath and facing the camera. So Kon told me to place my palm on the bicycle seat with one of my legs lifted up. After snapping a photo, it finally occurred to me that I looked as if I was casually doing a handstand like it was no big deal. Just from this photo, it made me even more eager to check out what the props behind the door were like and what kind of whimsical pictures I could take.
Kon helped a small family of three to take some pictures with the same bicycle prop and together, we
finally entered the doors to the house. Upon entering, the reason why the place was called Upside Down House became clear to me. The setting of the entire place was meant to be a typical layout of a house. From the living room to the study room, the place has it all… bolted to the ceiling and mounted on the walls that is.
“Instead of just having the upside down props as it is, I decided to play around a little with interior decorations,” said Kon.
The setting feels like a warm and cosy home and it feels good enough to live in if it wasn’t for the fact that the furnitures were defying gravity. There is a living room with a TV mounted on the wall, a reading corner with a bookshelves containing real and fake books (try to spot it if you can), a dining room, wash area and even a child’s bedroom. Out of curiosity, I asked Kon if the props might fall off from the ceiling and he jokingly replied that he doesn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t happen.
“The items here are going against gravity so it could happen. But I have confidence that it would hold since the contractors responsible for the work done are really skilled at what they do,” he assured me. This was the first time the contractors had to deal with a peculiar request to have the remodelling done on the ceiling instead of the floor but Kon said that they did not disappoint when it came to delivery.
Due to the constant stream of steady visitors that day, I thought it would be better to explore the place for myself and let Kon speak more to the other visitors. The only problem is that due to the fact I came alone, it was hard for me to take the photos. Fortunately for me, the manager of the place, Louis Ting, was more than happy to offer his services as an on-spot camera man.
Ting taught me how to pose for the whimsical photos and I was amazed by the outcome of the pictures. Although it felt awkward to me that I was squatting on the floor or even lying down on it in some cases, I was pleased with the outcome of my poses. And I could see that all around me, the visitors there were having fun as they posed underneath the props. They laughed at one another’s poses and tried to come up with some creative photos together as a group.
The Upside Down House Kuching was officially opened on Thursday (March 2). The entrance fees are still priced at RM12 per adult and RM8 per child with MyKads until further notice. The venue opens daily from 9.30am to 6pm. So be sure to check out the place with your family and friends to experience it for yourself. For further information, check out the Upside Down House Kuching’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/upsidedownhousekuching.
