It's the time of the year again when we grow a year old--our birthdays.  

Every year, I try to bring Kib to a new place to celebrate his birthday.  This year, we went to four places--Upside Down Museum, National Museum, National Museum of Anthropology, and Rizal Park.

Upside Down Museum

Upside Down Museum is one-of-a-kind museum where you can take crazy photos and create an illusion that you're upside down.  My son and I had fun posing at each exhibit.  The staff were also helpful to assist you in your poses.  It'll be more fun if you go there as a group so that you can create a perfect picture to show to your friends and family on social media.

The Upside Down Museum's concept was taken from Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and USA.  The one in the Philippines is ten-fold bigger and it has more illusions to expand the experience, all in 1,700 square feet of fun and excitement.  Upside Down Museum has 15 features but they continuously add to the list.  Among these are The Leaning House, Floating Corner, Upside Down House, Mirror House, Giant Sneaker, Giant Headset, The World of Comfort, The Inverted Steel Bridge, etc.

The Upside Down Museum can be found at the Boom na Boom Complex in Pasay City (near World Trade Center) and is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11AM to 9PM.  Entrance fee is Php450 per person, children under 3 years old are free, and they also give senior citizen discount (25%). 

Check out the pictures that we had at The Upside Down Museum:

National Museum

Our next stop is at National Museum.  It is at the old Senate House along Finance Road near Rizal park.  The first time Kib went there was when he was five years old.  For the past six years a lot of changes has been made and I'm so happy that the interiors now look pleasing!  Good lighting, good temperature, freshly-painted walls--National Museum is something every Filipino should visit.  I'm so glad that everyone can go there FOR FREE, and it's forever, weee!  

National Museum houses precious art and sculptures of renowed Filipinos.  From Juan Luna to Felix Hidalgo Resurreccion, from Vicente Manansala to Fernando Amorsolo--their works are there for us to appreciate.  Even our national hero Jose Rizal has some art works and sculptures exhibited there!  

There are rooms that showcases permanent exhibits and there are rooms that have temporary exhibits.

One good thing is that we can take photos inside, but of course, we cannot touch them, just appreciate them.

Check out the photos that I took at National Museum:












National Museum is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10AM to 5PM.


National Museum of Anthropology

The National Museum of Anthropology is just across National Museum, within the Rizal Park complex.  The old Finance Building was converted into a museum.  It houses the artifacts that tells a story about the richness of the culture and history of the Philippines.  Just like in National Museum, entrance fee is also free!

Check out the pictures we had at National Museum of Anthropology:












I was looking at the skull of the Tabon Man but I guess they are moving it to the National Museum of Natural History, which will open very soon!





Rizal Park

A lot of important historical events happened in Rizal Park (also known as Luneta Park or Bagumbayan in the old times).  Our national hero, Jose Rizal, was shot by a firing squad here, hence, the place was named after him.  The three martyr priests, Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known as Gomburza, were also executed here via garrote.

There are lots of things to do at the historical Rizal Park!

Rizal Park has a huge Philippine map when you enter it from Taft Avenue. It also has a children's playground where children can have fun outdoors.  The chess area is still alive, seeing groups of people playing chess on the built-in chessboard on the table.  There's also Japanese and Chinese gardens, where you can just enjoy the scenery and take lovely photos with friends and family.  You can also enjoy listening to live concerts there at the open auditorium.  Learn history by just looking at the busts of our heroes and visiting the execution sites of Gomburza and Jose Rizal.











Of course, your visit in Rizal Park won't be complete without having a 'selfie' with our national hero!




It was indeed a fun learning experience for both of us!  I do encourage families to visit these places because you can learn a lot about our culture and history and at the same time, have fun!