Naval Station Guantanamo Bay

Guantanamo Bay is the only place in the world where you're simultaneously on a tropical island and in an open-air prison of boredom — a geopolitical anomaly where the U.S. Navy has operated since 1903, surrounded by a country that would very much like you to leave and an ocean that remains neutral. The base has a McDonald's, a Subway, a bowling alley, a surprisingly decent outdoor movie theater, and absolutely nowhere to go because the perimeter is a minefield (literally, the world's last Cold War minefield), Cuba is off-limits, and the next nearest American territory requires a military flight. You will get very good at one hobby — frighteningly good, competition-level good, 'this is my identity now' good — because there is nothing else to do. The diving is world-class (the coral reefs are untouched because nobody's here to touch them), the fishing is excellent, and the beaches are stunning in that 'I'm the only person on this beach and it's either paradise or exile depending on my mood' kind of way. The iguanas outnumber the sailors, have more territorial authority than your CO, and will steal food from your outdoor table with a confidence that suggests they've been briefed on your rules of engagement. The 'Gitmo experience' is either the weirdest year of your life or a strangely meditative reset — there is genuinely no middle ground, and everyone who's been here has strong, conflicting opinions about which one it was.