It was a stormy day in January when all boats were forbidden from leaving the harbor in Phuket that I decided to venture to the Upside Down House. Having all my previously booked island tours cancelled was a real bummer, but I decided to make the most of it by exploring the the current island I was stranded on and heading to a spa.
I took a motorbike from Patong because the storm hadn’t hit Phuket yet, and made my way to this crazy wayward house in the middle of the island. A sign greeted me with “Sorry, we’re open” and a bright pink house that looked like it tipped over was sure enough there. I would definitely do a home stay in this house if I had the chance.
They also have a garden maze and an escape maze here adding to the weirdness of this location. I paid 350 Baht to get in, and was immediately impressed with the artistic displays that Baan Teelanka had to offer on its three floors. This place is ideal for silly family photos, but is also fun to just look at the amount of detail that was put into each room:
My favorite rooms were probably the kitchen and the bathroom. It’s absolutely hilarious to take pictures of the open fridge and upside down toilet. If you’re a good photographer, you can really get creative with angles and make it look like your model is balancing off the surfaces of some of these rooms. This was actually the perfect way to spend a rainy day and I was happy that I came here!
Right down the road is a Thai IKEA that is worth checking out. I decided to go in and try their pineapple smoothie, and they also had pastries available. It was incredibly delicious! Phuket really does have a lot of nice gems.
Another great thing to do on a rainy day is to go to Phuket Fantasea! This theme park is essentially Thailand’s version of Disney Sea but instead of rides, they have an expansive arcade targeted at children, a famous buffet, and a Broadway-esque performance with acrobatics, dancers, and a dazzling display of lights. Though it might not be as big as other themeparks, it’s still fun to check out. It has both indoor and outdoors areas with live performances and a lot of fun areas to explore. Tickets for the show start at 1,800 baht which I recommend seeing because it definitely brightened my stormy day!
The storm fortunately cleared up within 3 days and I was finally able to fly to Chiang Mai to see the most aesthetic temple in the world without having to change my flight. Listening to the thunder at night alone in my business hotel on the beach, but I still felt safe.
Regardless of weather, Phuket is a great place to explore and the people are very accommodating! Though parts of it like Patong have an excess of expats and tourists, you can find private beaches away from them to the south, and also catch a ferry from one of the piers to go to other tropical islands.