Why I was locked in a bar on top of the world for 24 hours

August 5, 2026 — 3:00pm

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In recent days, you will have received an email or a letter from the Australian Bureau of Statistics with instructions on how to complete the 2026 census. Most of us will fill in the online form on August 11. It should be 20 minutes of inconvenience to be counted and avoid a fine.

But until I spent a census day locked inside a hostel in La Paz, Bolivia, I’d never considered how convenient our census actually is. How do you count a population without a functioning postal service, or universal access to the internet?

La Paz is dirty, hilly and vibrant. It’s hard to breathe between the 3650-metre altitude and 1990s engine emissions on the city’s chaotic streets. But I loved it.

Here is a country that’s rejected a lot of Western norms. You won’t find a McDonald’s here – the multinational tried and failed. Bolivians would much rather support a local street food vendor or “casera” trying to support their family. (It is possible, Northcote!)

Like many tourists, and........

© The Age