Retiring outside America: For many, it's a dream come true

[Herman Munster]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003948199_overseas14.html

Then they discovered Panama. The Strocieks were overwhelmed by the breathtaking sights.

"It's one of the few places I can see the curvature of the Earth," Mary Strociek said of the view from her property, which she says looks out on nearly 300 miles of coastline.

Won over, the Strocieks sold their Chicago home and built a house near the mountain town of El Valle, where they now live, she explained in a phone interview from her pool.

Two years ago, it cost the couple about $150,000 to buy their land and build a house, pool and bohio — a type of tropical gazebo. They live debt-free and enjoy the perk of a newly built Panamanian abode: no property tax for 20 years.

The Strocieks are among many Americans who have retired to Panama.