Everyday is spring cleaning day this time of the year in Nicaragua. It’s so hot, dry, and dusty that we have to clean our houses early in the morning because there is a fine layer of dust over everything. Then, in the late afternoon, we do it all over again. Sigh!
I thought I would take some photos of my clean house, because in an hour it won’t look like this.
Looking out the front door…see what I mean about how dry it is? We haven’t had any rain for 5 months.
We spend our afternoons taking cold showers and sitting in front of the fans. We close our shutters and doors to keep out the afternoon heat. Our bedroom is the only place we can get some relief from the brutal sun because it is totally enclosed and dark. Every afternoon, I take my laptop into the bedroom and either watch a Netflix movie or practice my Spanish.
Since the lake is too low and hot for swimming…not to forget the large caiman that is slinking around our beach…we search for relief from the month of April anyway we can. I’ve begged Ron for years to build me a little swimming pool, but he insists that we don’t need to go to the expense, the maintenance, and the trouble. That was until….
we visited our friend in Granada. She built an inexpensive plunge pool.
Next week, we are starting our plunge pool. Woop-woop! The cost should be approximately $300 for a small 4′ deep x 8′ long x 5′ wide plunge pool.
After discussing many locations, we decided to put the plunge pool against the back wall of our house. I am so excited!!! I may survive the month of April in Nicaragua.
Rewired and Retired in Nicaragua 
hi!!!!! read below,,, hope it helps ya out!!!!
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I miss your beautiful house so bad! but damn that floor was a nightmare to sweep all the time!
A plunge pool is an awesome idea – can’t wait to see the final results 😀
Haha! Yep. That damn floor is still a nightmare to clean…sometimes 4 times a day. I can’t wait until the rains start. Until then, we’ll have our plunge pool to dip in and get some relief. It should be ready next week…that is if we can find waterproof pool paint.
Send a photo! I can’t wait to see it! 😀
your house looks beautiful!
Thanks so much. It has been a lot of work to build and remodel, but very rewarding.
Hmmm…I never heard of a plunge pool but it sounds like a great idea. Do you have to put chemicals in it?
Sunni, it is going to be fantastic. We never heard of a plunge pool either until my friend in Granada made one. Since it contains a small amount of water and we can empty it every week, we can choose to add a tablespoon of pool cleaner a week, or just empty it more often and refill it.
I wonder if something like this would work in humid climates in the US.
I don’t see why not. Try it. My friend on Ometepe just finished her plunge pool yesterday and she spent $110.
How do you maintain the pool? Chemicals ? Pump?
Elizabeth, no pump is required. We will make a drain at the bottom of the pool and it can drain into the yard. We are going to use one tablespoon of Agua Chloro, a pool cleaner, to keep it clean and sanitary, but we can do without any chemicals if we drain it weekly and refill it. It’s kind of like a big bathtub. I’m going to get a $2 food strainer with a short handle to scoop out the bugs and leaves that may fall into the plunge pool. It’s a very simple and inexpensive pool that is refreshing and easy.
What about um, mosquitoes?
Here in Michoacán in west central Mexico, we are also in the hot season. It may have reached 85º -90º F yesterday in Morelia, the state capital. But we got fast relief, as always, as we drove home in the direction of Pátzcuaro, gaining around 1000 feet in elevation. Inside our house, which had been closed up since Monday, it was cool. After 5:00, we opened some windows to freshen the air inside.
Sra Cuevas is a member of the local sports club, which has a very nice pool, but she hasn’t swum there yet this year, as she has been waiting for the weather to warm up. Well, here it is.
Saludos,
Don Cuevas
Surprisingly, we have few mosquitoes. In fact, we couldn’t even sit outside in the summer in TN because of the mosquitoes. Maybe it’s the lake breeze? You are lucky that you can escape the heat through elevation. We have to travel to the mainland and go to northern Nicaragua to get relief from the heat. Tell Sra Cuevas to get in that pool!!! 🙂
Whoops! You’ll have to delete the comment I just posted – I meant for it to go on your April 1st post instead! Looks like the joke’s on me!
After spending several months in Nicaragua last year I can certainly understand your excitement about a pool of any size to cool off in. Maybe you can cool down, soak and watch a good movie all at the same time! Anita
Oh Anita, I never thought about watching movies, but we can certainly do that since we’re going to add a little table near the pool. A glass of wine, a movie, and a plunge pool! What more can anyone ask for in April in Nicaragua?
Ha! Ha! I’m a day late in commenting but here’s to April 1st pranks! Anita
Haha! I’m just going to keep this comment under the Plunge Pool post. It’s too hot to sit at my computer now and mess around with changing it to the other post. I’m lazy and soon to be lazier when the pool is finished. 🙂
hi ,
whoops ,,,guess i write here ,,,,duh!
i will be staying at La Via Verde ,,(,the owner says she knows u a bit!!!)
are your expenses still the same as your blog states , or is that from 2012??
just wondering , hope to meet you when were there!!
light , heidi
Hi Heidi,
Our expenses vary from month to month. We can live comfortably on $1,000 a month..no problems. But, we love traveling and I am involved in several projects on the island, where I donate my time and money.
hi there!
which part of the island do you think is the prettiest,,,?
just wondering ..
also are there “annual” houses to rent , from what I’ve read , looks iffy.
would love to hear about the projects your involved in .
may we take you to dinner when were there to chat???
thanks ,
heidi
Heidi, I can’t decide which part of the island is prettiest. Right now it is so hot, dry, and dusty that nothing is pretty. We don’t have a big rental market here. Your best bet is to find an area that you like and talk to the locals. They always know where places are for rent. Looking forward to seeing you, and yes, we can chat over dinner. That would be awesome.
HI !! I will be staying at la via verde.. are u near there ? june 7th -11,,the owner there ,,says she knows u a bit! is your budget list u blogged on older??? Does it begin getting a bit rainier and less dry in june??? thanks much , heidi
Hi Heidi,
No, we are on the other side of the island. I know the owners of the B&B, but we rarely go to the other side of the island, so we don’t see them often. The rains begin May 15th. Yea! Yes, they actually start on that date. I’m hoping for an early start this year.
Your house looks great, Debbie. Colorful, creative and inviting. a place with character, and the plunge pool sounds like a necessary addition. Did you have to dust Ron off?? LOL 🙂
hehe!
Haha! Yep. More like hose him down. I enjoy creating a home with character, but I have a lot of little “chunches” as Marina calls them, and they gather so much dirt and dust.
Nice pictures. Your house looks very inviting! Just curious, does the cost of the plunge pool include the rubber duckies?
Aww…sorry to say that the rubber duckies are not included in the cost. Jeje! Our neighbors have some real duckies, though. That’s why we had to pick a spot for our plunge pool that was gated. I can just see it turning into a chicken, duck, dog bath.
Oh my goodness! I love the pics of your house. The colours just speak to me. Makes me want to retire and run to Nicaragua… well maybe if I have the same pool to cool off in. What a great idea. Enjoy your tiny swims, Cheryl
Thanks, Cheryl. Haha! Hopefully, we’ll have the plunge pool finished in a week. You should have heard Ron’s sighs of relief when he plunged into my friend’s little pool. I think this is going to be a new trend. Another friend of mine on the island is almost finished building her plunge pool. We’re waiting until the madness of Semanta Santa is over.