Ever wondered what the world would look like upside down?
Wonder no more! A relatively new museum in Manila gives Filipinos a glimpse of an upside down world. Inspired by the Upside Down Museums in Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and in the US, the Manila version opened to public in October of last year. The Upside Down Museum would send you in topsy-turvy town with optical illusions, everything upside down: a house, a bridge with real cars attached to the ceiling, and a whole lot more.
The Museum extends up to 1700 sq. feet in floor area. More than enough for hours of fun and amusement! It features 15 themes that are perfect for your upside down photoshoot!
Some of the themes/galleries in the museum are:
- The leaning house: a house design that seems to be falling on its side;
- Levitation area: a room where guests can take a photo that makes them appear to be floating on air;
- The upside down house: several galleries that shows parts of the house such as the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, laundry area, and living room flipped.
- The mirror house: an area that allows guests to appear hanging from a building’s facade;
- Spilled Milk: an over sized model of a spilled carton of milk where guests can pose for a photo;
- Cupid’s Corner: a wall where lovers can pretend to be hit by Cupid’s bow;
- Goliath Shoes: a pair of gigantic shoes where guests can pretend to be miniature humans.
Flex your creativity and muscles! If you are having a hard time conceptualizing what pose you will exert for that perfect shot, The Upside Down Museum has several museum marshals that roam around the place who can guide and can assist you - take your photos and provide cool suggestions for your perfect pose. You can also check out LCD monitors placed in key locations as your reference. A gallery of photos from previous visitors are shown in the monitor.
Some tips to maximize your visit:
- Charge your mobile phone and/or cameras. Bring extra batteries or a power bank. Guests are encouraged to take a lot of photos.
- Call beforehand to check if there is a scheduled field trip or company outing scheduled that day. This is to avoid long lines and photo bombers, if you can, visit during off-peak hours or weekdays.
- For references on how to pose, look at the flat-screen TVs where they showcase the best photos from previous visitors.
- Edit your photos before uploading. Crop and rotate as needed. There are a lot of unedited Upside Down museum photos uploaded by visitors online.
I also heard that there is an ongoing construction at the 2nd floor. That would mean more galleries to come back for. I am definitely coming back when the 2nd floor opens to the public. I also hope that the entrance fee will remain at ₱450 per head.
Upside Down Museum is located at Boom Na Boom Grounds, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd. Pasay City. The museum is across World Trade Center, behind Wensha Spa and Star City. Ticket prices: ₱450 per person; ₱330 for senior citizens and PWD. Birthday celebrants and kids below 3 years old get in for free. Operating hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays.