Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

This is Ouda al-Salam, a Bedouin resident, and his camel, Bahr (his name means "sea" in Arabic — probably because camels are known as ships of the desert). This desert, with its weird rock formations, is where Star Wars , The Martian and other movies were filmed, because it really does look otherworldly.

For most of the year the ground is, well — sand-colored. But in the late winter after the rains, the color green erupts here! (You can see a line of it here behind Salam and the sand.)

When I visited in mid-February, the ground was covered with spiky jointed anabis and tiny, tiny purple flowers used in soap and tea. The Bedouin say the spiky plants can be toxic to camels — they put knitted muzzles on to prevent them from eating them.…