The Royal Palace and the two magnificent pagodas in the Palace Grounds, the Silver Pagoda and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, are among the few public buildings in Phnom Penh really worth seeing. They were built in the 19th century with French technology and Cambodian designs, and have survived the traumas of the 20th century amazingly intact. We were there just after 4pm or so and the crowd was thinning.. most people get here in the mornings to avoid the heat.. The king still lives here but was at Beijing for the Games at that time. He apparently comes our to his balcony and waves to the tourists once in a while..