I would probably choose Ujung Pandang - it is further away on the island of Sulawesi (Celebes). Balikpapan is in Kalimantan (Borneo).
Ujung Pandang used to be called Macassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi province. And from this region of the island as well that the Bugis people are from. The Bugis are well known for their maritime skills as they were known to reach Singapore (thus the Bugis neighbourhood in Singapore) and even Australia, in the ancient times.
If you have time, you might want to venture inland to see the Toraja houses, where the houses are built in the shape of bull horns and see the hillside 'hanging graves'.
Sulawesi is distinct in their nature as well, because Wallace line and Weber line that separate Asian animals with Australian animals actually border this island. Sulawesi has distinct flora and fauna ... i.e. the deerlike Anoa, the flightless Maleo and lots of butterflies and insectas that cannot be found elsewhere.
One website that gives places to visit in South Sulawesi is: http://www.emp.pdx.edu/htliono/sulsel.html
Just do a search with Google on 'Ujung Pandang' as well. Don't worry about the riots and the hooha in Indonesia - the government is the one that's having a problem, while the rest of the country continues to go on as it has always been.
If you want more information, please don't hesitate to contact me. Cheers and have a good time!
