Ray and Mary Kresha's Travel Videos
Ray loves to travel and, with Mary, have visited 46 countries and all seven continents. Ray uses his degree in radio-tv-film to put together videos with original photography and video. Ray uses narration, music, and captions to bring the locations to life. Feel like you traveled with them: check out the YouTube channel videos he produced below. Type in Raymond Kresha in the YouTube search to find them.
Iceland 2025
Iceland is a volcanic island in the north Atlantic that is actually quite green, in many spots. It has been a hot tourist destination for some time now, and has become quite expensive, as everything is pretty much brought into the area and it's pretty much first class. There is quite a lot to see of the forces of nature, from the underground geothermal and volcano to the lakes and waterfalls.
A Carnival Cruise Ride to Belize 2025
It's a relatively quick trip to Belize from Galveston, TX. Check out this short video on the fun times one can have, if fun is your thing!
South Korea and Japan 2024
We visited South Korea and Japan in the fall, a very nice time to go, temperature-wise. Korea has been split for over 70 years. The North remains a family dictatorship with nuclear weapons while the South has transfored into a manufacturing powerhouse with electronics and motof vehicles. The same is for Japan. It is amazing to realize how many things we have in our home originate in these two countries!
Cuba 2024
We visited Cuba on an "educational visa" to learn more about and support the Cuban people with our cash tips and personal supplies given to people we me who were in need. In exchange, we stayed in nice hotels, ate well and saw much of the history, art and ecological treasures of this small island.Cuba was on my mind back in 1962 when there were 36 nuclear weapons pointed at the United States during the Cuban Missle Crisis and we had multiple drills involving crawling under our school desks to "duck and cover." (I still fail to see what good that would have done in an actual nuclear explosion, unlikely in the middle of Nebraska!) However, you will enjoy seeing some of the highlights of the island, which is not accessible to everyone, but is of concern because of its nearness to the United States borders.
Bhutan and India 2023
We visited Bhutan, India and Nepal on this trip to the underbelly of China. The main part of the trip involved hiking in the Himalayan Mountains in this last Buddhist Kingdom with many unclimbed mountains. Whereas Nepal hosts Mount Everest at 39,000 feet (where over 200 people have died - and their bodies are still there, in plain site, in the 'death zone' of above 36,000 feet). This is something Bhutan does not wish to encourage or allow. They do want to tell us about more human ways of living, seeking happiness where we are and finding the balance between spirituality, lifestyle and technology. Here we visited the Tiger's Nest, a Buddhist temple on the side of a mountain. On the return we saw the Taj Mahal in India. Go with us on this 4K visit to a far-away and mystical place inhabited by regular people trying to live their best life!
Travel recommendations for a safari to Africa
This is perhaps my most popular video - what I wish I had known before I got on the plane for Aftrica! It's short, sweet and to the point.
Kenya & Tanzania for a Safari 2022
This is a trip of a lifetime to see the wild zoo animals in their native habitat as well as meet the people of the land that is reputed to be the cradle of human civilization! this video has wonderful photography - you will enjoy it!
Mesoamerican Mystery, part 2; What happened to the Maya Civilization 2021
This video seeks to describe the rise and fall of the ancient civilization that brought us the long-count calendar and explore in detail what happened to their population and why the famous pyramids and palaces were deserted! Then we show your photos and video from these sites: Tulum, Muyil, Sián Ka’an Biosphere, Cobá, Chichén Itzá, Mayapan, Uxmal, Calakmul, Kohunlich, Becán, Balamku, Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan and Toniná. We visited the Mayan Archeological Museum in Campeche, housed in Fort San Miguel and San Juan Chamula, where nearly all the residents are present-day Maya, speaking Tzotzil! You will learn more about the tragedies these people have experienced throughout history and how it affects their life, even today.
Mesoamerican Mysteries, Part 1: Understanding Ancient Aztec, Toltec, Teotihuacan and Zapotec Cultures 2020
Visit archaeological sites in Mexico with a well-known and experienced archaeologist, Dr. Bill Saturno.
This travelogue explores the Mesoamerican religion, calendar, mathematics, and political values of this "cradle of civilization" before it was destroyed by the Spanish conquest. Get a better understanding of human sacrifice as we visit the Templo Mayor and Tlatelolco in Mexico City, Toltec temples in Tula, Teotihuacan, see Olmec treasures in Xalapa, the Totonac city of El Tajín near Posa Rica, the Zapotec sites of Monte Alban, Yagul, and Mitla in the Oaxaca. We also take a look at major museums associated with these sites as well as the Casa Azul in Mexico City, home of famous artist Frida Kahlo. We got this trip in just before the CoVid-19 lockdown of travel sites!
Great Britain Tour 2019
A beautiful look at Scotland, Wales, and England. See the land of Mary Queen of Scots and Robert the Bruce. See the beauty of the English countryside as well as the homes of Shakespeare, the Beatles, and the filming sites of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Don't forget Stonehenge! This video stresses the beauty, history, and contributions these three countries have made to our culture.
The Soul of Ireland Video Tour 2019
See Ireland and Northern Ireland, as we concentrate on the history of the Island, it music, beautiful landscape, and contributions to the world. See "Game of Throne" film sites, Cliffs of Moher, Glen Keen Sheep Farm, Blarney Castle, Waterford Crystal Factory and a lot more. Start in Dublin, travel along the eastern coast with England, then south toward Cork, then to Kerry, Galway, up the west coast, then back around ending in Belfast. See Ireland in ways you might not have before!
Beautiful New Zealand 2018
See amazing New Zealand in 4K:
* Home of Bungy-Jumping
* Glenorchy, where many Lord of the Rings scenes were filmed
* Queenstown: FergBurgers, mountains, Arrowtown
* Te Anou: glow worms, Milford Sound fiord
* Māori indigenous warriors doing the "Haka"
* Rotorua and the thermal village
* Hobbiton Movie Set from "The Hobbit"
* Visit to Fiji and an island near where movies (Cast Away) and tv shows (1 Survivor season) have been filmed.
Exciting Tour of Australia 2018
Tour the unique wildlife of this continent, visiting Uluru, ballooning in the Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, and the big cities of Melbourne and Sydney. Great videos of koalas, kangaroos, camels, birds of many kinds, as well as fruit bats! Music, narration and travelogue help you sample why you should visit!
Beautiful Baltic Capitals - Norway to Russia! 2018
When you see the beauty of the Baltic Sea, you wonder why the Vikings left. Or did they? Fully narrated tour includes Bergen and Oslo, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden; Uppsala, Sweden; Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; and Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Sights include the Old Wharf, Grieg's home, and the Fantoft Stave Church in Bergen. There is a ride on the all-electric cruise ship on the Aurslandfjord near Flam, Norway. In Oslo, we visit the Nobel Peace Center, City Hall, and art centers including the National Theater, Art Gallery, National Opera and the Vigeland Statue Park, not to mention the Viking Ship Museum. In Copenhagen, two castles, the royal jewels, and the Kronborg Castle, the setting for Shakespeare's "Hamlet." In Stockholm, we see the Vasa Ship Museum, City Hall where Nobel Prizes are awarded, Drottningholm Palace, Uppsala University Museum; Sibelius Park, The Rock Church in Helsinki; the Old town in Tallinn, Estonia; and these sights in Saint Petersburg, Russia: The Hermitage Museum, the Saint Peter and Paul Fortress and Mausoleum, Faberge Museum, and Peterhoff Palace, plus much more.
Antarctic Expedition 2017
Antarctica: penguins, whales, seals, and icebergs. How to prepare for if you are planning to go, including just how the Zodiac boats work and the Drake Passage. Fall in love with the untamed natural beauty of this frigid continent. See the inside of Wordie House and the Vernadsky Scientific Station as well as the wreck of the Governoren (1915) and people taking the Antarctic plunge into the chilly waters at the volcano rim at Deception Island.
East Central Europe Video Tour 2015
This was a fun fall trip to Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany. It is narrated video to give show the highlights of the three week tour of Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Krakow, Warsaw, and Berlin. Highlights include the Auschwitz-Birkenau sites, Nazi sites in Krakow, Warsaw and Berlin where Hitler was. Nazi sites have been pretty much eradicated, but tours and museums are still available to show you where they were.
Beijing to Shanghai to Hong Kong 2014
A gorgeous HD tour of the best of China's historical sites and those places China like to show off. It was truly fun and overwhelming. Highlights include Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Peking Opera, a Kung Fu demonstration, Chinese gardens, nightlife, and the modern architecture of Shanghai, Hong Kong and the Great Buddha of Lantau Island.
Portugal, Spain and Morocco 2013
Tour the Iberian Peninsula then Morocco! Music, narration, and travelogue to sample the delights of this beautiful area
Rio de Janeiro, Igazu Falls, Buenos Aires, Machu Pichu and the Amazon 2013
Tour the "hot" spots of South America, including Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, Cuzco, Machu Pichu and the Amazon River at Iquitos in Peru. A wonderful and colorful look at beaches, Inca historical sites, and timeless native life.
Israel and Jordan - 2011
Tour the historical and religious sites in Israel. See the Mediterranean sea sites, border area near Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Highlights include the Temple Mount, Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Masada, the Red Sea, the River Jordan, and Mount Sinai. Music, narration, and travelogue covers Amman, Petra and Jerash in nearby Jordan.
Greek Islands and Istanbul 2010
Enjoy starting out in Athens, then see the famed island of Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete, and Santorini. You will see Delphi, the Parthenon, Delos, Ephesus, and other treasures of Greece. The visit ended up in Istanbul with belly dancing and world famous Christian and Moslem religious sites.
Egypt and the Nile 2009
Start in Cairo, see the Great Pyramids in Giza then fly to Luxor to see the Valley of the Kings and Queens. This is where the river cruise of the Nile heads south to Aswan. It was idyllic with stops along the way at monuments and other sites. At Aswan, you see the huge lake before flying to Abu Simbal south of the lake, then flew back to Cairo. Fabulous tour: we had armed guards with us the whole time!