Bell Church, Baguio

The Bell Church sits on the boundary between Baguio and La Trinidad, a compound of pagoda-roofed halls, painted gates, dragon-topped arches and terraced gardens belonging to a Chinese religious society that draws on Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian traditions together rather than any one of them. Founded in the 1960s, it functions as a place of worship, a community centre and a clinic, and it is open to visitors who behave accordingly. The colours are the thing people photograph - reds, greens and golds against Baguio's pines - along with the moon gates, the koi pond, and the fortune-telling that visitors can ask for at one of the halls. It is not a tourist attraction in the packaged sense: there is no ticket and no guide, and the community's own activities carry on around whoever wanders through. It sits on the road out to La Trinidad's strawberry farms, which is how most people encounter it.

The main sights

• The pagoda halls - painted temple buildings in the compound.
• The dragon gates - arches and moon gates through the grounds.
• The terraced gardens - koi pond and planted levels.
• The devotional practice - worship and fortune-telling in the halls.

When to go

November to May for dry weather; Baguio is cool all year. Mornings are quiet. Chinese New Year brings the compound to life.

Good to know

It is a working religious community, not an attraction - dress modestly, ask before photographing inside halls, and keep quiet. There are no facilities or guides. Traffic on the La Trinidad road is heavy.

Nearby

Baguio's centre is fifteen minutes south; La Trinidad's strawberry farms are just north.