I think for the air tickets, that is a reasonably good price already; I doubt you'd be able to find anything much cheaper...those are the only two airlines flying between Kunming and Laos and the better of the two airlines with more services and being a fairly large, experienced airline is China Eastern, so I'd recommend choosing them, although if Lao Airlines is cheaper or you prefer their service, by all means go for them.

Anyway, I'd recommend a one way flight from Vientiane back to Kunming, catching the bus down first; not only can you pace yourself better because the flight back is only 1.5 hours, unlike the unpredictable bus journey, but you also avoid the possibility of being forced to purchase a ticket out of Laos if attempting to travel on a one way ticket. I don't think this should be much of an issue and you'd probably be allowed to fly anyway, but I'm mentioning this just in case.

If you travel round-trip via air, then you can travel via minivan between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, stopping off in Vang Vieng and possibly even Xieng Khuong, which is on rte 7 off towards the Vietnamese border (Thong Hai Hin or Plain of Jars) if you are interested, followed by returning to Vientiane for your flight back.

One way air tickets to Vientiane should be about 1000Yuan+tax or roughly 1300-1500 incl. tax, and probably a similar amount if purchasing your ticket in Vientiane.

I also heard that there is (or will soon be) a regular flight (twice weekly or so) from Jinghong to Luang Prabang with Lao Airlines. This may be another option for you, but I doubt it would be much cheaper than flying from Kunming since you would also need to factor in the cost of getting to/from Jinghong from Kunming.

There are many good boutique hotels in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane. In Vientiane, I recommend the Chantapanya Hotel. In Vang Vieng, I hear the D'rose Hotel, which also has a sister hotel in Vientiane is good. For all cities, try www.agoda.com for hotel bookings - there you'll find both guesthouses and hotels, and although you can probably just show up without a reservation, I think it gives you some peace of mind if you book in advance.

In Vang Vieng, tubing and watching tv, getting plastered on beer, whiskey and other things seem to be the main activities, but you should consider going to explore nearby caves and an area next to the Mekong for swimming with the locals instead. I think it's much more fun and worthwhile than hanging around inside the town with all the drunks.

I'm at Yunnan University at the moment - good mix of nationalities and good, motivated teachers. Previously, I studied at Yunnan University of Nationalities (Yunnan Minzu Daxue) and there's definately a contrast with Yunnan University - at Yunnan Minzu there's basically only students from Thailand and Laos along with a few Burmese and Vietnamese nationals - teachers aren't as good, many are either recent graduates or sometimes Master's students teaching for some experience.

Visa on arrival was available for a few months last year I think, then suspended again. Not sure if they re-instated this service; find out by contacting the Myanmar consulate in Kunming.

Not sure if you've already been to Myanmar yet, Dan, since your posts date from late last year, but I think there's not much else you really need to know other than perhaps taking in as much cash as you think you'll need to spend, since there are no ATMs in Myanmar and no other way that I know of to get access to money from overseas. I doubt cash advances are an option either, since banks in Myanmar wouldn't be hooked up to VISA/Mastercard or other networks due to the international sanctions against the regime. China's Unionpay might work since China does not have any sanctions against the Myanmar regime, but I haven't heard of that being the case either, so cash it is.

It's also a good idea to book and prepay for all your accommodation with a credit card prior to arrival in Myanmar and then you won't have to carry as much cash and will have some piece of mind. Try www.agoda.com or www.asiarooms.com for hotel bookings.

OK, sounds good. I also read same day extensions are possible - in any case, do you guys know the address of the PSB in Shangri-La? I found an address in my Lonely Planet guide, but they claim it was moving (as of May 2009) of course I could also check the May 2011 version to see if things have changed.