From the airplane window, shortly before landing in Papeete, Tahiti, you can already make out some of the islets that make up the Society Islands archipelago. It is one of the five island groups that make up French Polynesia, a French overseas territory. As soon as you step into Faa'a International Airport, you receive your first taste of Polynesian hospitality: travelers are welcomed to the rhythm of ukuleles and presented with tiare necklaces (Gardenia tahitensis), an aromatic flower that has also been used for medicinal purposes for over two thousand years.