if u are staying in kotakinabalu
u must have heard all the fuss about Rumah Terbalik , The Upside Down House in Borneo
it was all over the newspapers
even nizam who was here for a holiday saw rumah terbalik on his way up to kundasang,
and he suggested that we go and check it out
well, me being me, of course i wanna see what's all the hype about
nizam drove . and with my superb instinct and knowledge on roads in sabah,
we arrive after 30 minutes ++ drive from kota kinabalu
and we miss the junction
because there were no signage at all
we were quite in a rush since i thought that the rumah terbalik closes at 5pm
and man was i wrong
we arrived around 4 ish plus
thought that it closes at 5
but apparently opens till 8 pm
it was drizzling
-__-!
so pictures are a little bit gloomy
we were greeted by staffs wearing kain batik sarong and official rumah terbalik polo tshirt
quite a lot of staff i must say
but maybe it was raining so not much tourist / locals stopping by
we were charged rm 10 PER PERSON
rm 20 for the both of us
for foreigners rm 18
still dirt cheap for them
but anyway
the rumah terbalik operates in a way only a group will enter the house
and then followed by another group
even though there were not many people around
so u'll see the staff holding walkie talky
acting all important
communicating with each other
even though there were 2-3 of us around visiting
the entrance fee includes
a guided tour of the house
so a guide will follow u around the house
u can't take pictures in the house
which is a bummer
and u can only walk on the designated red carpet path
the guide will show u around the house
explaining the area of the house
etc. living room, wash room
and while u were admiring the whimsicality of the house
and when u were about to get dizzy seeing the world upside down,
the guide will proceed to next area of the house
as if pestering u to end the tour quickly
man i paid rm 10 for this
at least let me take my own sweet time
hell, i can't even take pictures inside the house
and for rm 10
i get two minutes of guided tour inside the house
ok exaggerating maybe five minutes
SO NOT WORTH IT
such a RIPOFF
god
the side elevation of the house
nizam taking a picture of the house
this is me making my rm 10 worth it
taking picture with a banana tree
this is at the souvenir shop area
and there is a cafe too
unfortunately no free drink with the entrance fee
don't be fooled by our facial expressions
such a disappointing tour
back elevation
me again
trying to make my rm 10 worth it
taken from the souvenir shop area
to take a picture with this kancil
it's free
so next time if u drop by here
just take a picture of the kancil and the exterior of the house
from the parking lot area
i just saved u rm10
me again
trying to make my rm 10 worth it
nizam's final verdict
my personal opinion on how to make it better
maybe the guided tour should not pester us to quickly end the tour
*let us take our time to admire your hard work
*it will be more informative if the tour includes the history, idea, construction
i suggest , provide visual/interactive information boards on the history / idea/ construction of the house
*an area inside the house for visitors to take a picture . at least one area . designated area la.
great effort to promote tourism , but i'll just go once in my lifetime
rumah terbalik
location : Kampung Telibong, Batu 21, Jalan Telibong, Tamparuli, district of Tuaran.
operating hours : 8 am till 8 pm