After that car problem we encountered in Tarlac, my wife wanted to stay a day more in Baguio City and so we did. We usually go to Baguio City every year at Teachers Camp for a worship festival organized by my denomination, the Grace Communion International.

After checking out at Teachers Camp, we moved to the South Drive Baguio Manor. We have stayed in this hotel a few times previously so we felt comfortable at this place. It’s just a few hundred meters or so away from Teachers Camp. They have fast internet connection which we all loved.

Anyway, just before we went home, a friend from Baguio suggested two tourist sites which we might consider visiting aside from the usual places tourists go to. The other place was closed on Mondays so we decided to go to the Heritage Hill and Nature Park Garden. It is more popularly known as the Diplomat Hotel or the Dominican Hill Retreat House. These are ruins of an old building built during the early 1900s. It is located high up on a hill overlooking the city. One can get a good view of the city from up above. It has a rich history which my family is interested in and I myself is also interested in buildings — architecture.

When I first looked at the building, I was immediately reminded of my alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas (UST), founded by Dominican priests in 1611. Both buildings are obviously similar in look and design. Going around inside the building, I also noticed the same basic floor plan just like at UST. And to my surprise a few days later as I checked Google again, I found out that both these buildings were designed and built by the same Spanish priest and engineer, Fr. Roque Roaño, O.P. sometime during the early 1900s. No wonder they look similar! You might say that this Dominican Retreat House is the smaller version of UST.

It is now the property of the city government. Below are some of my shots of that place. Just click at the photos to zoom: