yes notes are rejected for any minor imperfection. A ball point pen tiny line for example. Also, I experienced, the larger the denomination the better the exchange rate.
Talking about snow. I was asked if we had snow in England. Thai word for snow is hema. The word hema should be pronounced short and crisp. Instead I replied we don't have hee maa which means we don't have dog cnuts. But then if you ask a Thai to say 'itchy' they'll say 'cun' which can sound quite bad. 🤔
From what you state about driving licence only being valid in 1 province, either you've been misinformed or misinterpreted what you've been told. My first licences were issued in Bkk then, on expiry, re-issued in Rayong.