[datadrivenangel]

Nepal is a low income and high corruption country, where the government and formal business structures are unstable enough that 'tipping' becomes common even for government investigators...

It's basically a way for everyone to get more tourists dollars, which is one of Nepals primary exports.

[shellfishgene]

My travel health insurance lately warns of Egyptian hospitals and doctors trying to charge absurd amounts for simple procedures for tourists, and pressuring them to pay, arguing they can get it back from their insurance. Similar story.

[mikkupikku]

Why don't they just charge [more] for a mountain license? A few thousand per hiker would probably be tolerated by people who view the hike as a lifetime achievement kind of thing.

[leoedin]

There’s far more tourists in Nepal who are trekking than mountaineering. And those tourists are going to be much more price sensitive. It’s not just wealthy Americans, but people from all over the world - India, China, middle income countries etc. All those people are spending money in tea houses and hiring local guides.

[tim333]

They do charge quite a lot for mountain climbing permits but trekking is mostly just walking from village to village along the usual paths the locals use.

[expedition32]

Scamming bored rich people is one of the more victimless crimes.

[guzfip]

Idk they gave SBF 25 years for it.

[tt24]

How can it possibly be defined as victimless

[umanwizard]

In my experience people use “victimless” to mean “the victims are people I lack sympathy for”.