Que Onda?

            Que onda (what's up?) you ask?  Onda Azul is que onda!  Literally translated as "Blue Wave", Onda Azul is part working farm, part Israeli hippie commune, located on a quaint riverside piece of property less than a quarter of a mile from the mountains in Lago Puelo (about 30 minutes south of El Bolson).

 

Onda Azul 

            Being neither a hippie, nor Israeli, I never would have come across this place had I not gone to Bariloche and encountered 2 girls from Los Angeles (one of whom happened to be a bit of crunchy hippie with a thing for Israeli guys).  After going for a hike in Bariloche they informed me of their plans to head down to Lago Puelo and invited me to join them.  When I asked if they thought there would be an open bed for me the hippie replied, "There's always room on the farm, brah!".  My response, "Llama lo?" (Hebrew for "why not?").  So the next day we hopped on the bus and were on our way.

 

L.A. Hippie 

          Before arriving in Lago Puelo the bus made one stop in El Bolson where every single passenger disembarked, except for the 3 of us.  Okaaay.   Half an hour later we were dropped off at a lonely, dusty bus stop.  I went into the only business around (a small travel agency) and asked the guy if he'd ever heard of "Onda Azul".  He said he had, told me it was about a kilometer away, and offered to call us a cab.
         So, we waited for the cab, and when it came near the license plate said "Shalom" and it had dice in the mirror we noticed that it had more writing in Hebrew than Spanish.  We pulled up to the farm about seven or eight and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo Itzhak, smell ya later!" were all immediately reminded of summer camp.
         After our rooming options were explained we decided to take the 3 remaining beds in a 6 person cabin.  Once our stuff was secured in our room I took off my shoes (you know, to try and blend in) and went for a walk to find out what this place was all about.  I quickly learned that it was essentially where young Israeli hippies (age 21 - 24) who have just finished their service in the army come to sit around, listen to reggae, play bongos and guitars (or "jam"), toss the bee (as in Fris), speak Hebrew, partake in other stuff that hippies all over the world seem to enjoy, and then eat tons of Israeli food (which by the way is delicious.  I recommend the shakshooka - a sauteed tomato dish with eggs on top, eaten with bread).

 

Hippie jam session 

          Run by 3 Israeli brothers who all reminded me of an odd mix of Mose (Dwight Schrute's German speaking Amish cousin) and Duane Allman, "The Farm" (as we got to calling it) felt like a strange combination between Schrute Farms and the Manson Family commune.  Nonetheless, the staff and guests were all really cool and welcoming.  Aside from 3 Austrians who happened to be there, we were the only non-Israelis (and one of the brothers told me that I was the first guest they'd ever had from New York).

 

Davida - the Onda Azul kitten

  

Davida taking a nap

  

2 week old puppies in the internet room on The Farm

  

Me- wading in the river 

  

Ghandi, the Onda Azul German shepherd, trying to coerce this young Israeli girl to go swimming with him 

         We had a good time, relaxed, checked out La Feria in El Bolson, got acquainted with the animals and just hung out for a while.  After 3 days of chilling we finally decided it was time to leave and got our bus tickets out of there.  One recommendation I would give would be to book your travel plans to leave before you actually arrive, as it is very easy to get sucked into the timeless vortex that is The Farm.  If you don't book ahead, you could very well end up spending weeks or even months there without noticing.

 

Hippie jewelry for sale at La Feria in El Bolson

  

Hippie fly tying (El Bolson)

  

La Suprema - waffle w/ dulce de leche, strawberry preserves, cream & powdered sugar (El Bolson)

  

Industrial caulk gun used for pumping dulce de leche 

        Reggae.  Jam sessions.  Frisbee.  Puppies!  Kittens!  A German shepherd named Ghandi??!!  From what I gather this place is the ultimate stoner's paradise.  But what would I know?  I've never touched the stuff.....

- Shalom