Rumah Terbalik, or The Upside Down House in Sabah

Sabah’s new attraction – Rumah Terbalik, or The Upside Down house in Tamparuli, Sabah.

Don’t adjust your eyes when you see a house turned upside down by the roadside of Batu 21, Jalan Telibong in Tuaran, Sabah. The house is not being hit by a typhoon nor affected by an earthquake, but rather the owner decided to build it that way. Even a Kancil car parked in the porch outside was hanging upside down.

The upside down house, or Rumah Terbalik in Malay, is a brainchild of the owner Mr Alexander Yee, who spent almost half a million ringgit to build the house. The house was opened early this year and had fast becoming a new attraction for the tourists coming to Sabah. It’s very crowded during our visit on weekend.

Only a guided tour is provided, and photo snapping is a no-no inside the house. Only a small group of visitors are allowed inside the house at one time as the house is only 140 square meter big. Before entering the house, the guide tells us a short tale of how the naughty kids of the family that lived in the house had caused the house turned upside down. I sincerely felt that it was unnecessary since the tale is purely fabricated and irrelevant. This is not a historical site whatsoever that needs a story. Once inside, you will immediately noticed that everything, including the furniture, washing machines, TV set and old sewing machine are hanging upside down on the ceiling, or supposedly, on the upside down floor. There were a few items of course that cannot be installed upside down because of the technical limitations e.g. the CCTVs and the airconds.

Verdicts
Sabah is well known for its nature attractions i.e. beautiful islands and green forests. But if you need to get away from those nature-themed attractions for a while, then Rumah Terbalik is worth a visit. Otherwise, there’s not much to see and do here other than looking at the topsy-turvy items. For locals, it’s a good place to include in your Kota Kinabalu tour itinerary, even though the location is about 40km from the capital.

How To Get There
The journey by road takes approximately 40 minutes. Taxis can take you from the city centre but be sure to make return arrangements as taxis on standby may not be readily available at this location. Full address is: Kampung Telibong, Batu 21, Jalan Telibong, Tamparuli, Sabah. [Source: Sabah Tourism Board website]

Entry Fee
Malaysian: RM10.00 (adult), RM5.00 (children)
Non-Malaysian: RM18.00 (adult), RM5.00 (children)
Free for children below 3 years

Opening Hours
Daily (including public holidays): 8:00am to 10:00pm

Online Resources
Official website: www.upsidedownhouse.com.my
Official Facebook: Click here

Other Tips
According to the guide, RM100 fine will be charged if you were caught taking photos inside the house and all the photos taken will be deleted from your camera. So don’t try. However, you can snap photos freely outside the house.

A bicycle left hanging outside the Upside Down house

Even the cloth hanged to dry outside the house is hanging upward. There are more items inside the house that were hanged upside down

Smile! Friendly staffs at the ticketing counter