Top Ten: Unforgettable Faces

We were drawn to the Samba music of Brasil coming from a small dress shop. Tucked away in a cobblestone alley we found this young woman standing in the doorway. Her outfit and jewelry were typical of the northeastern state of Bahia.

Salvador is one of the oldest cities in the Americas, having been established by the Portuguese in 1549. Known as one of the friendliest cities of the world, this woman’s smile epitomizes the warmth and approachability of the people of Salvador, Bahia, Brasil.

In the late fall of 2004 we visited Egypt and sailed on a Nile Cruise Ship, the M/S River Hathor from Luxor south to Aswan. Our time in Aswan was very memorable as we were thrilled to see the old Nile dam as well as the High Dam completed in 1971 and the Philae Temple of Isis.

This lovely young girl allowed me to take her photograph, a Nubian Princess if we ever saw one! One cannot help but wonder where she is after almost 10 years and if she is enduring all of the strife and conflict in Egypt now.

In 2001, on our first major trip after retirement, we traveled to Italy and Greece. While in Athens we took a small boat to the Island of Aegina, one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, 17 miles from Athens. We visited the Temple of Aphaia and then sat in a little street café, rested our bones, and enjoyed the views of beautiful blue Mediterranean Sea.

This distinguished gentleman, who was also enjoying the deliciously dark expresso coffee, allowed me to take his photo, which began my interest in taking photos of people of the world. With his warm smile I knew this would be on my Top Ten List for Unforgettable Faces.

The sunny yellow painted buildings are typical of the architecture of the colonial city of Antigua in central Guatemala. Antigua was the seat of the Spanish colonial government in the 16th Century and is now a bustling city popular with tourists and Spanish language students.

This gentleman was reluctant to have his picture taken as he was on duty guarding an office building on the main street. Whether he was a bodyguard of an important official or perhaps a crime boss of an illegal operation, no one would ever challenge this man and his ready machete with his hand in his pocket.

Sitting and meditating at the base of the Wailing Wall, this gentleman was oblivious to anyone around him. So absorbed in his thoughts and prayers, he was in the most scared place in Jerusalem.

The Western Wall of the Second Temple was completed and dedicated in 516 BCE. Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike revere the Temple Mount in the heart of the Old City. People of all faiths come to pray or to slip wishes written on small pieces of paper into the cracks of the ancient limestone.

Life is difficult for the Maasai Warriors of the remote villages in the Amboseli Nation Park of Kenya. The severe droughts over the past several years have imposed famine conditions on the tribes and their herds of cattle and goats.

Small children stand on the sides of the road with empty containers begging for water. Without water, there is nothing! This middle-aged warrior with his colorful shuka (shawl) is a distinctive face; one of hardship but pride emblematic of the people of Kenya.

With a weathered face straight out of the Casbah, this man with his Saharan blue djellaba and turban is ready for the elements and harsh weather of the Sahara Desert.

The Berber men of Morocco traditionally wear this blue indigo apparel as protection from the harsh sun and as characteristic garb of their tribe of nomads. Always aware of a face that stands out in a crowd, this gentleman from Marrakech easily made our top ten list.

A vendor on the streets of Lima, this Peruvian woman was selling alpaca and llama hides. It is possible to identify the village from which an Inca woman comes from just by the type of hat she wears. The felt bowler hat is a symbol of honor and authority.

Since the English engineers and technicians wore this type of hat during the construction of the railway network in Peru, many Inca women have adopted this custom. The women of Peru are incredibly hard workers and their time in the high altitude is seen in the lines of their faces.

Just outside of the town of Oung El Jemel in southern Tunisia we came upon this young girl standing along the roadside with a baby desert fox. She was trying to make a little money by having her photo taken by tourists on their way to the George Lucas Star Wars Set.

As far as the eye could see in each direction all we saw was sand. Where she lived, or where her family was, we did not know. At six years old she was an ambassador for her country and an entrepreneur making a living to help her family.

If you have to live in Texas, Austin is the city to call home. The arts, music, culture, technology, educational opportunities, not to mention the fantastic food make it a city for all ages and preferences of humanity!

This liberal university town is a perfect locale for those who support the adage, “Keep Austin Weird”. Not only because of the friendly attitude of the community, but also because of her bright smile, this young woman on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin rates a place of honor in our Fabulous Faces top ten list.