1. Every adult you meet, including that cool surfer chick on the beach, is a soldier.
2. Finding real coffee is nearly impossible. Instead, you are offered five permutations of Nescafe. Urth Caffe and Stumptown wouldn't stand a chance.
3. So. Many. Jellyfish. We dare you to try swimming on the beach without getting stung.
4. It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a military fighter jet just cruising over the beach like it ain't no thang!
5. There are no paparrazi outside of your favorite trendy little cafe (Tel Aviv: 1, Malibu: 0)
6. Hitchhiking is a totally legit way to get home after a day at the beach–and you're not risking your life! Ditto for picking up hitchhikers.
7. Everyone smokes everywhere–including on the beach.
8. Speedos. Lots of men in speedos. Why is everyone in the rest of the world so much more comfortable with their bodies?
9. It's normal (and not alarming) to see people walking down the street with rifles.
10. If you want a post-beach snack of pizza in Tel Aviv, it probably has tuna, greek olives, feta, or eggplant on it.
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