EFTA01699268.pdf

,althfifr abete422( ./aezt,a0d 1 -aevn-e-iy -I (1677 -1-4-4: ra /-ez-/ , gym.. --izzet 74 ,V6ti 42, pa 7,-* Zeal girl& d'infizaze, 4 eST wz, ,a-le ,ad/vi ll ,7.7„c, / P.033,WIMMINWAriazdf; EFTA01699268 CAom LtIvto Sac eNvIustoti N OM O To Arkwom TA,O1scldviq 70-.sk Fame, Raw:kJ (3umcuk 0 t_ vLAAA; ot airotis Eckciow 4-60\ AA, auedistivtg za,v14 33201 oc3; (W4AvIsti lvakvio_ NveLl tiu k)oz\v‘viicov) M53? To Likikovv, 0- ft" Cockm rP1tcose. \vmh\-ieri tt nz hiettAiolkiffAi hMAA&RA- oz18.0, m, caLmob ickma Oasts \\A VCA5L koa-ouuktd aAkwa . Aiv): (\ 5\5) u SCA:A\ 1 VIAL VIVetiViS ‘4 oh me. G2 \v, SeipirQmibvv )c01`91 Sca' Koloaxvte vkov,cs akuct oti- oss lase ov) ries 50-5-1 k N4outal esteotatkme TuAt. Doo) treicvas 1 ouAck Aamks EFTA01699269  Bloomberg Eiosinessweek August 5. 2019 1 VICTORIA'S SECRET B U S N E A modeling agency linked to Jeffrey S Epstein is just one of the chain's worries Time isn't being kind to Victoria's Secret. The financier was charged with several counts of se lingerie retailer has a problem with the past and a misconduct in Florida. He pleaded guilty to problem with the future-and that leaves the pres- charge and spent just 13 months in prison v ent in a muddle of controversy. work-release privileges. That penalty was wic Jeffrey Epstein is supposed to be history at the derided as exceedingly lenient and, after sex I company—and at its parent, L Brands Inc., for that ficking charges against Epstein were resurrecte matter—but he's that skeleton that keeps rattling July, fresh outrage over the 2007 plea deal le( around the closet to remind everyone he was once the resignation of U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Aco an all-too-lively part of the business. Epstein had a who'd been the U.S. attorney in Miami in charg two-decade-long reign as close confidant, financial the prosecution. Epstein now sits in a Manhat manager, and right hand to the corporation's chief jail awaiting trial—and perhaps more revelation executive officer, Leslie Wexner. He even had the salacious secrets. On July 23 he was found inju CEO's power of attorney at one time. in his cell and put on suicide watch. Although he wasn't an employee at Victoria's L Brands' efforts to distance itself from Epsi Secret, Epstein also influenced the way the lin- may not have been all that clean a break. Epstei genie company operated, associating with the one point had a $1 million investment in MC2 Mr division's chief marketing officer, Ed Razek. In Management, according to a sworn deposition I 2005, for example, Razek was a guest at Epstein's former company bookkeeper. MC2 is owned byk Manhattan mansion, welcomed by young women Luc Brunel, a Frenchman who's alleged in a civil I who said they were working as models for Epstein. suit to have brought girls as young as 12 to the I Razek told fellow guest William Mook, head of Mok for sexual purposes and provided them to Epsi Industries LLC in Columbus, Ohio, that Victoria's and other friends. Brunel even visited Epstein w Secret used Epstein models and that his girls were he was first imprisoned in 2008. Victoria's Se( in "the major league," according to Mook. continued to work with MO-represented mot Edited by James E. Elks and Epstein's relationship with Wexner and L Brands after Wexner severed ties with Epstein. At least tt Dirnitra Kessenides officially ended in 2007, a year and a half after the MO models walked in its 2015 fashion show, EFTA01699270  Bloomberg Busies*** August 5.2019 ■ BUSINESS the agency's models were at auditions in 2017 and women in suggestive poses often had the look of 2018. They've also posed for its catalogs and web- soft porn. And Abercrombie & Fitch's now-defunct for • Victoria's Secret site. In a 2014 letter to Brunel, his business part- "magalog," A&F Quarterly, was notorious U.S. market share in such as women's urslerwear ner, MC2 President Jeff Fuller cited worries by Saks, including nude models and racy content Nordstrom, Macy's, and other clients about Brunel's its 2003 discussion on the pleasures of group sex. 36% friendship with Epstein. There was no mention of But few retailers have fused themselves to the concern on the part of Victoria's Secret. notion of sexiness more than Victoria's Secret, MC2 didn't respond to a request for comment. which has spent countless hours making sure the az A representative of L Brands declined to com- outside world gets that message. Wexner has never ment beyond statements already issued. L Brands shown a lot of personal interest in the models for his has hired an external law firm to probe any ties brand, according to a former executive. That task ze between the company and Epstein. falls to Razek, who's worked for Wexner since the Epstein is the ghost of Victoria's Secret's past. 198os and is part of his inner circle. The 71-year-old But the company has more to worry about than marketing chief and his team decide which models ze history. Its business model is increasingly at odds earn angel wings. GQ has called him one of the most with society's changing definition of beauty and the important people in the modeling industry. 2010 2018 #MeToo movement, both of which have encour- Between tapings of the 2011 fashion show, for aged a very different vision of how to portray instance, the Victoria's Secret angels would crowd women and their bodies. This isn't just an exercise around Razek as if he were a coach giving a locker in political correctness: Since 2015, Wexner's lin- room pep talk before the big game. In a speech gerie empire has lost $20 billion in market value, that year to his accPmbled models, which included • Victoria's Secret total raising the question of whether a male-dominated Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio, Razek said selling square footage company that trumpets women as lingerie-clad their job is the "most impossible job in the world, 72m "angels" may be out of step with today's consumer. literally in the history of the world. In the history The chain's founder, Roy Raymond, came up of the world, as of this show, only 165 women have 2018 with the idea of a women's lingerie store aimed at ever been in this show," he said to the dozens of men after an unfulfilling experience at a depart- women present. "There have only been 140 pairs of ment store buying his wife some lingerie in the wings in the entire history of this show. That means 1970s. He felt there should be a place where men each of you, every one of you, because there are 64 would be comfortable shopping for women's 7 billion people on the planet. Each of you is one underwear. He opened the first Victoria's Secret in in 45 million human beings. Let's start with that" 1977. Wexner, already owner of retailers Limited, But like fashion, times change. Abercrombie 2011 ao Lane Bryant, and Express, bought the company for in late 2014 parted ways with longtime CEO Mike Si million in 1982. Through savvy marketing under Jeffries, who once famously told Salon magazine Sales 5740 5860 per s4 ft Wexner, the brand sold directly to women who that his chain refused to carry women's clothing I p wanted to look sexy in pushup bras and panties. larger than a size 10 "because good-looking people As the brand grew, it still provided plenty of eye attract other good-looking people, and we want to 3 candy for men—especially in its glittery annual fash- market to cool, good-looking people. We don't mar- ion show, which became a marketing coup and a ket to anyone other than that:' The chain has also much-anticipated event for the men who flocked dropped its highly sexualized marketing. American to it. The first—staged at New York's Plaza Hotel in Apparel founder Dov Charney was ousted in 2014 1995, the same year real estate developer Donald after allegations of sexual harassment, and the I Trump was forced to sell the legendary hostelry company later filed for bankruptcy. I to avoid bankruptcy-included model Stephanie Likewise, fashion companies are increasingly Seymour gliding down the catwalk. Models wore embracing a broader definition of beauty. Younger 5 white and black bras and underwear, but not the designers such as Christian Siriano and Becca large white angel wings that models in subse- McCharen-Tran have added plus-size fashions and quent shows would make famous. Over the years models to their shows. But Victoria's Secret hasn't the extravaganza grew with more lights and pop strayed much from its uniformly tall, thin angels. stars. Supermodels such as Gisele Biindchen and Last November, Razek told Vogue that, after consid- Tyra Banks graced the stage. As such, it cast a sex- eration, he'd decided not to use transgender models § infused spotlight on a utilitarian product our grand- in his shows. "Well, why not? Because the show is a mothers used to purchase from the Sears catalog. fantasy," he said, sparking some outraged celebrities Plenty of clothing retailers have used sex to and customers to call for his resignation. sell. American Apparel's ads of pouty-faced young Some in the industry say such tone-deafness ► EFTA01699271  ■ BUSINESS Bloomberg BusInessweek August 5, 2019 ill may be a result of the 2016 departure of Victoria's of branding to overcome. "There's been very Secret's longtime CEO, Sharen Jester Turney, who'd interesting growth in consumers embracing this guided the brand for a decade while managing to more holistic body-image view, but it's probably too convince many consumers that its celebration of far of a step away from what the DNA of Victoria's the feminine body was a form of female empow- Secret is," says Alex Arnold, a managing direc- erment. Turney left because she didn't agree with tor of the consumer practice at investment bank the direction Wexner wanted to take the business, Odeon Capital Group LLC. "It would be a whole- according to a person familiar with their conver- sale repositioning of the company." -KimBhasin, sations. "With her gone, the men really just took Jordyn Holman, Sophie Alexander, and Anders Melin over," says one former executive. "And these were men who had one ideal of women, and it's not THE BOTTOM LINE Victoria's Secret long prospered by promoting its sexy lingerie. But changing norms about women based in reality:' and beauty could put that growth at risk. Jan Singer, who replaced Turney, left last year soon after Razek made comments some plus-size models and the transgender community found demeaning. Singer was replaced by a man, leaving L Brands with only two women among the 10 listed executive officers and brand leaders. At the urging of Selling the Rainforest activist investor Barington Capital Group, L Brands this spring added two more women to its board. Door-to-Door The failure to embrace changing norms about women and beauty may already be having an • By acquiring Avon, Brazil's Natura plans to turn impact on Victoria's Secret's results. After rising its army of direct salespeople into online influencers steadily since 2010, sales fell to $7.4 billion in fis- cal 2017—the first drop in seven years—and edged slightly lower again last year. Sales at stores open On a pleasant Tuesday in May, dozens of beauty for more than 12 months, a closely watched met- influencers gathered at the New York Botanical ric in retailing, also slipped in 2018, with operating Garden in the Bronx for a vegan lunch and a panel income at the unit tumbling 45%, to $512.4 million. on sustainability in cosmetics. As they sipped pas- Those poor results have led L Brands to tighten sion fruit caipirinhas, the young women snapped its purse strings, resulting in the shuttering of photos of lotions and soaps featuring exotic ingre- dozens of underperforming locations. L Brands dients such as murumuru and priprioca. "Inother announced in February plans to dose about 53 They're the types of products that made host markets, Victoria's Secrets in North America this year, more Natura Cosmeticos SA a beauty giant in Brazil— yousee the than three times the 15 it's historically closed in an and that the so-year-old company wants to bring movement of average year. "Given the decline in performance at to the rest of the world. With its agreement in May beauty going Victoria's Secret, we have substantially pulled back to buy Avon Products Inc., Natura is accelerating its into wellness. on capital investment in that business," L Brands global ambitions and betting its brand of natural, InBrazilit executives said in prepared commentary in May ethically sourced cosmetics will appeal to millen- started the after reporting a further 5% drop in same-store nial and Generation 2 consumers who increasingly other way sales in 2019's first quarter. want sustainable goods. Another notable change: In May, Victoria's around" The company wants to attract social media Secret pulled its fashion show from network tele- enthusiasts such as Ava Lee a New Yorker who was vision after 23 years. Ratings bottomed out in 2018, at the Bronx event. "I love that all Natura Brasil with only 3.3 million viewers, down from the pre- products are clean and sustainable," says Lee— vious all-time low of 5 million the year prior. The @glowwithava on Instagram—who often posts pho- annual show is expected to move to streaming. tos of cosmetics for her almost 24,000 followers. There may be limits to just how much Victoria's "It's hard to come by products that smell this good Secret can change its messaging:American Engle and at the same time are very gentle on the skin Outfitters Ink's rival Aerie line has found a base of and don't cause irritations:. passionate customers who are younger and more Natura's $2 billion purchase of Avon—the very diverse and are calling for brands to have body- company it had long emulated with its door-to- inclusive messages. That's helped Aerie log 18 con- door direct-selling model—will make it the world's secutive quarters of double-digit same-store sales. fourth-biggest cosmetics company and among the One advantage is that Aerie doesn't have 40 years largest focused on natural products. About 80% EFTA01699272  Bloomberg Businessweek August s, 2019 ■ BUSINESS • of its products are vegan. The challenge will be the direct-sales model, which Natura says it can staying loyal to its sustainable roots as it rapidly modernize and diversify. Marques plans to turn the grows. Executive Chairman Roberto de Oliveira combined companies' army of 6 million direct sell- Marques says the "value propositions that are the ers into social media sellers and influencers—who very essence of Natura" are appealing to consumers, increasingly drive millennials' cosmetics purchases. particularly millennials, who look for "authenticity" Natura is also giving door-to-door associates pay- in products and the companies that make them. ment machines and helping them open web stores. Purpose-driven brands resonate more with young "This powerful sales network that gets into consum- consumers, according to researcher Euromonito r ers' homes already existed of line, and now it's con- International. About 60% of millennials responding verting itself into an online network," Marques says. to a lifestyle survey said they felt they could make That's in line with industry trends. Elton a difference in the world through their choices and Morimitsu, a Euromonitor analyst, says several actions, compared with about 45% of baby boomers. brands are "abandoning the use of influencers with Founded in 1969 as a store in Sao Paulo, Natura millions of followers;' he says. "They're betting soon moved to direct sales, adding 2,000 consul- tants over the next decade. Novelties, such as offer- ing product refills in the 1980s and a line of soaps and creams that could be used by both new moms and babies in the 1990s, fed steady sales growth in a country obsessed with good looks. But though Brazilians are leaders in plastic surgery and popu- larized the infamous Brazilian wax, the national con- cept of beauty is more natural—think of model Gisele , Bfindchen, with her signature loose hair. "Natura's broader portfolio, more focused on wellness as opposed to only beauty, puts it in a unique position to expand abroad;' says David Marcotte, a retail analyst with Rantar Consulting. "In other markets, you see the movement of beauty going into wellness. In Brazil it started the other way around. That's the grounding for their success!' Natura gets 30% of its revenue outside Brazil. The company began widening its scope in the past • Number of direct- decade, buying a controlling stake in Australian lux- instead on microinfluencers with several thousands sales associates Nature ury skin-care brand Aesop in 2013 and British soap of followers, because the conversion rate into sales will have after Its purchase of Avon maker the Body Shop in 2017. It's taken steps to bring that the brand will have will be much higher!' its sustainable ethos to those brands. Natura brought Natura doesn't sell only through its consultants; the Body Shop's marketing back to the cruelty-free it's made several brands available in drugstores, 6m cause that jump-started the brand in the 19705. It's cut deals to sell others at big retailers, and opened also taken the fair-trade model it uses to procure its 52 proprietary stores, mostly in Brazil, to showcase ingredients from the Amazon and expanded it to the its goods. It also has its own virtual store and is using African communities that provide moringa oil to the the network of Body Shop franchisees in Southeast Body Shop. At Aesop, packaging changes will reduce Asia to open Natura locations there. It has opened plastic consumption by 124 tons per year. two stores in the New York area, but has no plans It's unclear how much Natura will transform to expand quickly in the U.S., Marques says. Until Avon, whose sales plunged by half over the past that changes, American consumers need to rely on to years, to $5.25 billion, in fiscal 2018 amid com- online shopping and influencers such as Ana Kcira, petition from trendier brands. The company had whose @fashionstylefoodie on Instagram has about given up on the U.S., selling the last of its stake in 45,000 followers. She posted a photo of herself the American operations earlier this year, to focus spraying Natura's pataua oil, a hair strengthener, on international markets. But it's still struggled to on a friend's braid in Central Park—which generated adapt to changing consumer tastes. almost 700 likes. —Fabiola Mourn, with riffanyKary The Avon acquisition will give the Brazilian com- THE BOTTOM UNE Natures natural, ethically sourced cosmetics pany access to 27 new markets—including in China have been a hit at home h Brazil. It's aiming for *Mar success and Eastern Europe—as well as greatly expand globally. as younger consuners lean toward purpose-ddven brands EFTA01699273 EFTA01699274  TRAVEL Bloomberg Pursuits August 5, 201 elix Worn, chief of the Asmat village of Syuru; looked F intimidating in his grass skirt and fur headdress, bird feathers protruding from the side. A necklace of sharp animal teeth stretched across his bare, muscular chest, and his nose held a large curled ring. This ornament was made of seashell, but in the past it could have Asmat men from.the village of gyuru arrive . in canoesio oreat —and I Intimidate—visitors been carved from human bone. Twelve miles off the sparsely populated south coast of the Indonesian province of West Papua, Worn sat, unsmiling, for the fust time on the deck of a cruise ship. The 120-passenger Coral Adventurer was on an inaugural voyage to West Papua, which encompasses most of western New Guinea and other nearbyislands, and the ship's captain had invited Worn and a handful of other village elders onboard to calm any fears about intruding foreigners. He offered them a look around, hats with baseball logos, and tins of butter cookies to take home. travel has drawn particular interest among baby boomers "They want to have a peek at us and really want to see willing to pay fares that often top $1,000 a night for meaning- the ship;' says tour lecturer Kathryn Robinson, a retired ful soft adventure experiences in hard-to-reach destinations. anthropology professor at Australian National University In this growing niche of the cruise market, 39 expedition whose research focus includes Indonesia. "If you say no, ships are set to make their debut from now to 2024, accord- because that would make us feel uncomfortable, that doesn't ing to Cruise Industry News. Big cruise companies are dipping work.... Hospitality is a big thing in Indonesia." their toes into the lucrative arena. Royal Caribbean Cruises The chief already understood it—the symbiotic relationship Ltd. acquired four expedition ships (as well as five ultraluxury between locals and visitors. "We can keep our culture because ships) last year when it paid about $1 billion fora two-thirds people come to see it," he said through a translator, acknowl- stake in Silversea Cruises Ltd. "It probably increased their fleet edging the importance of the money the cruise line brings to capacity by 2% but increased their profit flow by 6%. The profit his village. "We would be very per ship is that much higher," happy to have more ships coin- . says Bloomberg Intelligence ingr As I walked away from our "It's like anywhere senior analyst Brian Egger. chat, the chief raised his chin, where people are performing Most of the new boats are looked ahead at nothing, and let out a long rhythmic call. their culture.It can be polar -class vessels bound for popular cold places such as The Asmat people once uncomfortable, but it can also Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland, were known as great warriors promot who used headhunting and e mutual recogn ition" and the Canadian High Arctic. But other cruises are sticking to cannibalism in their warfare, the tropics. As a result, some of cultural rituals that ended for good about 60 year ago with the most isolated people on Earth are seeing more visitors. the arrival of the Indonesian government. Photographer and Wom's village of Syuru, with its rustic houses and board- art collector Michael Rockefeller, one of Nelson's five sons, may walks crossing the swamp, will welcome four shiploads of have been a victim of cannibalism after his boat overturned cruisers this year, a number agreed upon by the government near an Asmat village in November 1964 according to the book and tribal representatives. Timing is important in the expe- Savage Harvest, by Carl Hoffman. His body was never found. dition business: The May itinerary of our round-trip cruise The culture lives on in part through performance—which from Darwin, Australia, was tweaked so we could beat a ship is how the government likes it, says Stuart Kirsch, a professor owned by French line Ponant SA by a day. of anthropology at the University of Michigan who specializes We arrived early in the morning after two sea days churn- in the Pacific region. "When you're not there, they're wearing ing north from Darwin. Passengers boarded the ship's two Rolling Stones T-shirts from the global used-clothing market, hop-on, hop-off tenders and passed mangroves along a brack- cutoff jeans, and worn-out flip-flops," Kirsch says. West Papua ish river on our way to the village. As we approached , dug- has an independence movement, he says, but "that's typically out canoes from several clans emerged from shore. Athletic scripted out of the tourist narrative:' men and young boys paddled from a standing position, most Add the navigational difficulties of swirling winds, shallow in grass skirts, their faces and bodies covered with war paint, seas, shiftingsands, and multiple reefs, and it's no wonder trav- which assures the warriors their,ancestors will protect them. elers seldom stop by. That our diesel-electric vessel was here, Men reached for the sides of our boats. Paddles thumped near the equator in the middle of hot nowhere, is a result of • against wood in unison with war cries. "They are perform- the expanding market for expedition cruises. Such small-ship ing themselves as violent people;' Robinson said. "They are i EFTA01699275  August 5,2019 Bloomberg Pursuits TRAVEL She's noticed that, since she first visited the Asmat a few years saying, 'This is who we are!" If they were trying to look scary, it, for ago, conditions seem to have improved. "The way I see they succeeded with me, especially as the flotilla increased of these people who are miles away from any of the circuits to dozens of canoes. capital, tourism is helping them to realize that they do have Onshore, men performed a traditional ceremony to launch something the world will buy, which is their culture," she says. a new canoe. It was a frenzy of hip-swinging dancing, raised "We might have anxieties about it. But all through Indonesia, spears and shields, chanting, yelping, and drumming. Women these gers people hope that tourism is going to bring income into in grass skirts, some topless, danced in support. Passen people are separa te from the exigen cies remote areas. These stood on the edge of the ceremony, the action only some- untouc hed has also got its negativ es!" of the world. Pristine and what diluted by some of the villagers holding cellphones. e the Asmat an oppor tunity to prac- The visits also provid They were taking pictures of us, as we were of them. And wear, sun hats, and tice their culture, Huma says. Elders traditionally teach youth what a sight we were in our "adventure" cus- the group's customs by performing ceremonies; paying sunglasses, slathered in sunscreen and bug spray. I hadn't so. Kids also see the outsid e world eyes tomers are an excuse to do thought of myself as a cultural attraction, but locking we both were and have an opportunity to practice English, "so they can go with a half-naked elderly woman, I realized out and seek employment and send money home;' he says. probing another world. I felt oin of place in this one. "It's like anywhere where people are performing their cul- Cruisers pulled out rupiah to purchase Asmat art, which uncom- . ture," says Kirsch, the Michigan professor. "It can be is sought by museums and collectors around the world te mutua l recogn ition. The m fortable, but it can also promo (Rockefeller was seeking pieces for the Metropolitan Museu and these encou nters can ) Asmat are well known for their art, of Art's collection of primitive works when he disappeared. style!' I stimulate appreciation for the artistic The art traditionally tells the stories of ancestors, but when for quite Agats, a larger town we visited nearby, has imported goods picked up a figurine for about Us-some works went a staple said for sale to locals. Among them are rice, which isn't a bit more—and asked about its symbolism, the shy artist e popula r, as well as electric of the Asmat diet but has becom it was just something he imagined. nes. Given the spotty signal, motorbikes, tea, sugar, and cellpho Oswald Huma, a tour agent from the island of Savu, west as and for playin g music. , the phones are mostly used as camer of Timor, was hired by Coral Expeditions, based in Cairns itin- Huma had spent months in his boat on the Arafura Sea Australia, to help map out our "Warriors and Wildlife" cing ask south of West Papua, sometimes in rough seas, convin erary. He said the most common question the villagers me the Coral Adven turer. leaders in remote villages to welco is, "Why do these people come to see us?" He struggles with the He also arranged for English speakers to meet us at each of the answer, usually replying that travelers want to buy four stops. Many are teachers, and some traveled far for the wood carvings. He doesn't want to mention the attraction of jobs as guides. a history of headhunting. ► e. In the village of Sangliat Dcl, on Yamdena Island in the Robinson says the interactions bring much-needed incom y. WEST PAPUA r T:\ Argun' & Andometal,* akor ay DONES1/9.-Mpik V 4 Triton Bay ii i Sangliat Dol Iria;saps*sae' EFTA01699276 $ Bloomberg Pursuits August 5,2019 Arctic Spring on the Galapagos on the Greenland and The Kimberley on ,..."423 1113027.a:&34- National Geographic Endurance Sliver Origin Purpose-built by Iceland on the the CoralAdventurer Scenic Eclipse Red cliffs, ancient Sailings in April tv Don %Iversea Cruises for This 'Discovery Yachtr rock art, towering Check out these other adventure cruises, Undblad Expeditions tripi to the Gahipagos debuting this summer waterfalls, and salt- priced per person, double occupancy. 126-guest ship bring you starting in July 2020. for Australian-owned water crocodiles all to Nonvays Svalbard SiWer Origin will pro- Scenic, has a sub- turn up on April- Antarctica on twth-engine choppers arthipaiago Just at the vide a posh floating marine and two heli- through-September Quark Expeditions' todrop you off for ight is starting to return base camp for visiting copters for exploring sails around Western Ultramarine heal-skiing —will explore and the polar bears Da reeffs finchesaexl glaciers and fiords, Australia remote Debuting in late 2020, Antarctica Prices are waking up. ti-day blue-footed boobies., plus other toys.11-dey northern coast. l0-day Ouark's.Polar ship— hot yet evell0510: sailing (rein'$t1600. Seven-daysailings from cruises Item $12,295; onuses from $7.024 complete with two • quarkexpeditlehscom sveditionstom $9459 avirseacon1 scenicusecom corelexpeditions.com 41 province °Maluku, the push.and pull of multiculture life voyage roughly 375 years ago. Coral Expeditions, a 35-year- was magnified. During a one-hour bus ride beforehand, our old company owned since 2O14 by Kallang Capital Holdings 1 guide said, "Visitors are rare, ask destroys the daily life." Pte. of Singapore, is known more for its cruises of Australia We were met by an enthusiastic crowd of costumed women ICirnberley region and the Great Barrier Reef. in embroidered white peasant blouses and sarongs. Some had When you commit to an expedition cruise to a remote arrived hours-earlier from nearby villages to greet us with a locale, you can expect long days at sea getting there. Wi-Fi dance in which they waved scarves and small towels. They wel- connections are sporadic, and there's no satellite TV. Lectures comed us as "sons and daughters of the village." are the main shipboard activity. A marine biologist prepared A smiling older woman grabbed my arm, and to the accom- us for the world's largest fish, whale sharks—who apparently paniment of druths and singing, the crowd danced past tin- didn't get the memo about our arrival. We looked for them roofed homes to a megalithic ceremonial stone boat in the without success in Triton Bay in the southwest corner of West village center. Shouting, shoving, even screaming ensued, and Papua. The passengers, mostly Australians over-6o, relaxed cruise passengers were hustled off to the side. onboard in modern cabins and lounge areas accented with Seating in the boat is based on status, but it can be con- African wood and Italian marble. Hot water flowed from tested. A man had taken a position someone else felt was his. showers, cappuccinos from coffee machines. Dinner was a Government officials moved the arguing men out of view so three-course affair, with Australian wines. a smaller group could perform a planned ceremony honor- It was sticky and hot when we explored the tidy dirt streets ing our ship "elders." of the Muslim village of Arguni (population 227), in the Fakfak The fight—with yelling and shoving—was the rawest experi- regional district. Women, their heads covered, and their ence of our cruise. But for the locals, there was a price to be grandchildren offered warm but cautious smiles. Most of the paid. A government official threatened to file a report, say- village's adults were as far away as Bali and Jakarta for work ing there would be consequences. Our ship withheld bags of or study. Although it was Ramadan, women had risen