Touring - converting mountain bike to road bike??

I plan on converting my trek 930 single track (rigid fork) MTB into a touring bike.

so far, people have recommended getting:

-nitto dirt drop stem, more upright so more comfortable
www.rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/handlebars_stems_tape/16007.html

-Dia-Compe 287-V "Æro" levers, designed to pull more cable for v-brakes

-continental Top Touring 2000 tires, versatile for rough patches of dirt road...

questions for those wiser than me:

1. what kind of handlebars should i get? moustache bars vs drop bars for distances?

2. what kind of shifters should i get? i will probably go with bar-end shifters because i don't think the MTB has places to attach downtube shifters. or can those be clamped on? i currently use grip shifters, will bar end shifters be compatible with the rest of the current drivetrain parts?

3. would it be a good idea to change the cassette?

4. is there a 26" wheelset that is designed for touring?

5. any other alterations that would make this conversion more beneficial? i'm trying to take this bike through southeast asia.

thanks a lot!

I built up an old rigid trek 830? as an off road tourer and the first thing i checked was the headset size,(1 18 in) .
I use Shi*mano XT Threaded headset, aheadset stem adaptor, Profile Boa Stem and Scott AT3 handle bars( Lots of hand positions). I prefer flat bar touring bikes as I feel I have better grip on the brake levers on flat bars. I also use Paul Thumbies and bar end shifters, which I find the perfect solution as they can be used indexed but easily switched to friction and not overly complicated (a la STI).

If you can afford it get a set of wheels built up by a good wheel builder, all the major problems I have had on tour are wheel related. :(

1. I prefer drops for touring so I can get lower when facing a headwind. Drops also give more hand options than flats. They do take some getting used to if you haven't used them in a while. I know some people swear by mustache bars, but drops are fine for me, cheap and easy to find.
2. I use bar ends so I have a minimum of hand movement with a loaded bike. A better option would be a brake/shifter combo, but I had a set of bar ends kicking around. I'm not familiar enough with brake/shifter combos to know if there are any issues with field servicing.
3. I'm not sure why you'd change cassettes. What do you have now? I found my mountain cassette gave me a nice range, but I can't recall what it is exactly.
4. I would think any reasonably good rim/hub combo would work. I use 36 spoke 3 cross builds for touring. Most mountain setups would be solid enough for touring. You may save some weight going with a different rim/hub, but in my case, it's totally negligible relative to the loaded bike. As per fks, get a good build done. The last thing you need is a tacoed wheel in the middle of nowhere.